Linger
by Hey There Delilah
Summary: Katie Bell is fresh out of Hogwarts and sharing an apartment with quidditch star Oliver Wood. When her friends get her a spot on Puddlemere United, will she be able to handle the responsibilities that come with the fame? COMPLETE? WHAT? YEEAHH!
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes I forget that I even share an apartment with someone.

I spend most of my nights alone, curled up on the sofa under a nice warm blanket watching some crappy made-for-tv movie, stuffing my face with popcorn. I know it sounds absolutely _dreamy_, and most of the time it is, but I do tend to get lonely quite often.

I'm a tad bit dependent on my roommate, although that may very well be the understatement of the century. I blame it on the fact that I was just out of Hogwarts last year and have yet to adjust to living in the "adult" world.

I wiped away a bead of sweat that had gathered along my hairline and sighed. The weather was unusually hot this time of year, especially for London, but I wasn't about to let a very good tanning opportunity pass me by! I was dreadfully pale and Merlin knows I needed it.

I shifted uncomfortably in the wooden lounge chair that occupied practically all of the space of our flat's tiny balcony. I could _feel_ the sun boiling my skin, but there was still no difference in color!

I adjusted the top of my bikini, which had come awfully close to revealing my two best kept secrets when I shifted positions, and as I did so, the large straw hat that had been shielding my face from the sun's rays blew off my head, catching only by it's ribbon on the flag pole not even four feet away from the balcony railing.

I muttered a curse and clung tightly to the railing as I leaned out towards the hat, coming up much too short, and glanced down. The street below was full of cars and people bustling around; I _knew_ that. But what I _saw_ from my 20th floor balcony were only tiny dots moving about a thin gray line. I gasped, nearly losing my balance and falling to my death, had it not been for the hands that caught my waist, pulling me back to safety with my feet planted firmly on the ground.

"Merlin, Katie! You've got to be careful! You could have died!"

Shaking, I turned around to face my rescuer. "Oliver Wood! What are you doing here?"

Oliver grunted and rolled his eyes. I knew he was expecting me to jump into his arms and thank him for saving me, but had he not been there, I'm sure I would have been fine.

Maybe.

"Well, I _do_ live here," he said, reaching over and grabbing my hat effortlessly, which he plopped back onto my head. "And I don't have another match for a few months."

I shoved past him and went inside, seating myself on one of the tall wooden chairs at the bar. Oliver followed after me and seated himself on the counter across from me, swinging his legs back and forth like a small child.

We sat looking at each other for a long while without talking. It was he who broke the silence.

"Katie! Look at you! You're nothing but skin and bones!"

I glanced down at myself; okay, so I _had_ lost a tiny bit of weight in the months he was gone, but calling me skin and bones was overdoing it.

"In case you haven't noticed, the waif look is in now."

"Not for you." He jumped down from the counter and turned towards the cabinets, opening and closing every single one of them.

"Well what do you expect me to do while you're away, Oliver? You know I can't cook. I eat what I can."

"But I just saw you not too long ago and you looked absolutely stunning!" He glanced back at me before opening the refrigerator. I decided to overlook the fact that he was saying I didn't look stunning now.

"'_Not too long ago'_? The last time you saw me was the day after New Years! It's April 17th now!"

He closed the refrigerator, which happened to be bare, and shook his head at me. "You could have done a little better than microwave popcorn and sugar quills," he said, smirking that stupid smirk of his.

"Well it just so happens that Angelina and Alicia took me out for lunch at the Fox and Hound last Wednesday."

"And did they say anything about how much weight you've lost?"

"Please, Oliver. They're both pregnant. They think I look amazing."

He laughed at me, then walked over and gave me a big hug.

"I've missed you, you little rascal," he said, planting a kiss onto my forehead.

"I've missed you too, Mother Hen."

He let me go and walked the short distance down the hall to his room, where I had piled up every magazine that had his face or name in it next to his bed.

"Is this all of them?" he asked, falling backwards onto his bed. He grabbed the first magazine off the top of the pile and held it up next to his face, smiling the exact same way he was on the cover.

"That's everything except for the _Witch Weekly,_ and that came out yesterday. Alicia called up and told me there's an interview called 'Down and Dirty with Puddlemere's Hottest Keeper.' I can only imagine they're talking about you, considering you're their _only_ keeper."

He laughed. I leaned against the doorway in what I hoped was a seductive manner.

"She also said you mention something about a pretty hot roommate of yours," I continued. "Which roommate would that be exactly?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, then turned his attention back to the magazine in his hands.

"Please. I like my girls with a little bit of color, thank you."

I turned and stomped off to my room.

* * *

The next day, Alicia greeted me with a hug as I met her in the park. Her belly was enormous; she was due any day now.

"So how do you like having Wood back at home?" she asked me. She watched as George Weasley and Oliver fought over who fouled in some stupid game they were playing. It still amazed me that she and George were married.

"Oh, you know. He's such a pain in the ass; the first thing he did when he got home was lecture me about eating right. And last night I swear I could hear his snores in my dreams. But I guess overall I'm happy that I don't have to be alone anymore."

"He's pretty protective of you and I think it's cute."

"Well he doesn't need to be. I already have a mother."

"Katie, you're younger than the rest of us, and I think it's good that he's giving you some guidance and watching out for you."

"Younger? I'm only two years younger than the rest of you. Honestly, what guidance could a 20 year old quidditch star possibly give me? How to avoid screaming fan girls?"

We laughed.

"Oi, Katie! Come play with us!" Oliver yelled, motioning towards me. I glanced back at Alicia, who gave me the 'go ahead' look and smiled.

"Go have fun and don't worry about fat ol' me," she said as she waved me off.

I made my way over to the boys who were both panting and sweating. Oliver pulled his sweat-soaked t-shirt over his head and discarded it on the ground. George, not to be outdone, did the same.

"A little soft around the edges there, eh Georgie?" I asked, poking his pudgy side.

"That's what working at a joke shop will do to you," he said, poking me in the ribs. "At least I don't look like Muscle McMuckleton over here," he said, jabbing a thumb toward Oliver.

"Muscle Mc-who?" he asked, puzzled. "Since when is that a bad thing?"

"Honestly, Katie," George said, flexing in a somewhat bodybuilder manner. "Who's better looking? Me or Wood?"

I pretended to think about it for a minute, looking each guy over thoroughly. George was still bending and flexing his imaginary muscles, while Oliver stood smirking at him with his hands on his hips.

My eyes trailed a little longer over Oliver; his tanned skin, his fit body, the cute little cargo shorts he was wearing.

Professional Quidditch had done the boy good.

"Oh, it's most definitely you, George," I said, slinging my arms around his neck in a lovingly way and earning a shout from Alicia who was still seated on the park bench thirty meters away.

"Okay, enough with the lovey-dovey stuff and let's play!" Oliver said, yanking me away by the back of my shirt.

"What are we playing?" I asked.

"George and I have set up invisible boundaries around these four trees," he said, pointing to each one as he spoke. "Basically you and me - we're a team - have to try to get the ball past George and through the boundary on his side, and he has to get it past us and through our boundary."

"Like American Football?"

"Somewhat."

* * *

When Oliver and I Apparated home that evening, we were covered from head to toe in mud.

"You two tackle me like I'm just another guy, but you have to remember I'm a delicate lady," I said, closing the door to our apartment and locking it with a simple charm.

"Delicate my ass. I've never in my life seen a lady run halfway across a park with someone the size of George Weasley attached around her waist in an attempt to pull her down. No, no. Lady, you are not. Monster is more like it."

Oliver showered and dressed quickly. He said he had told some of his quidditch teammates that he'd meet them down at a pub to "catch up," but I knew what that _really_ meant; he'd go out and find some pretty girl that was obsessed with him, get her drunk (or not, depending on how bad she wanted to screw) and bring her back to the apartment where they'd shag all night in his bedroom, leaving me alone once again.

Sure enough, I was awoken from my slumber on the couch by the sounds of two people laughing out in the hallway. I glanced at the clock that hung above the kitchen doorway. It read 2:48AM.

"A little early tonight, aren't we, Mr. Wood?" I grumbled to myself.

I heard the door unlock and rolled over, pretending to be asleep.

"I'll just be a few minutes," he said, speaking to the girl who stood out in the hallway through a small crack in the door. "I just want to make sure everything is tidy."

From the other side I heard a giggle and an "okay."

Oliver closed the door and blew out a breath of air that in my mind I imagined tussled the hair that hung about his face. Quick footsteps made their way to the couch, and I felt myself being gently picked up off of it. He stroked my hair softly as he carried me to my room.

As he was lowering me down onto my bed, I whispered in his ear, "Oliver, I'm lonely." He paused, holding me only inches above my bed, before setting me down. He leaned over and kissed me quickly on the forehead, then thought better of it and gave me a kiss right on the lips that lasted much longer than just a peck and sent my stomach into somersaults.

"Katie Bell, I _love_ you."

He turned and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him quietly.

Whatever "moment" I had thought just happened shattered to pieces as I listened to the commotion in the bedroom on the other side of the wall. Usually Oliver was one to keep it quiet, at least for my sake, but he was never one to stop a girl from letting him know she liked him. And the girl he had in there now... she _really_ liked him.

"Oh Oliver! Oliver Wood! You're amazing! Oh yes, yes, yes!"

I couldn't contain myself and let a giggle escape my lips. The next room went quiet instantly.

"What was that?" asked the girl.

"Just the neighbors downstairs," replied Oliver.

The bed began to squeak once again.

* * *

Around 7 o'clock I heard someone shuffle past my bedroom door. The front door opened and closed, and I knew it was finally safe to leave my room.

I tiptoed out into the living room and crossed over to the bathroom. One glance in the mirror told me that my night without sleep had taken it's toll. My blonde hair was bunched up in an ugly heap of tangles at the side of my head and there were dark purple circles under my green eyes. I looked ugly and worn out.

Oliver sauntered into the bathroom in nothing but his boxers and looked pretty pleased with himself. He even had the nerve to check himself out in the mirror while I was standing right there.

"Morning, Sunshine," he said, glancing at me in the mirror. "How'd you sleep?"

"I didn't."

I made my way back to my room and collapsed on my bed. My bones were aching, my head was aching.

My heart was sort of aching, too.

Oliver followed me, only feigning his concern, I'm sure, and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Please don't get slut juice on my blankets," I said, turning to my side so that my back was facing him.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, pushing my shoulder down so that I was lying on my back.

"I just don't feel so well. I feel old and ugly. I'm mad and sad and I have a killer headache."

"Are you... are you on your period?"

How typical of a guy to blame a bad mood on menstruation. Never once do they think that perhaps _they're_ the ones causing it.

Before I could answer, Oliver had jumped up and was ringing his hands. "So what are we going to do today?"

"I was going to go over to Angelina's and help her make a cake and decorate for Fred and George's surprise birthday party tomorrow."

"Ooh, sounds like fun. Can I come?"

"Oliver, you're a grown man, you can do whatever you want. Besides, I'm sure Ange would like to see you."

* * *

**Well, that's the first chapter! MAKE SURE YOU GO TO MY PROFILE!**

**So first off, before anyone asks... no, Katie doesn't have an eating disorder. She's just very dependent on Oliver or anyone, really, to cook for her. She's kind of been babied her whole life and can't do much on her own. Like me. Ha!**

**Oliver has been away playing quidditch matches. Now he's back.**

**Basically everyone but Katie is 20 years old. Katie is 18. I know that's a lot different than how most people like to write, but that's how I wanted my story to go.**

**That's just stuff that I mentioned in this chapter that I don't think I made very clear. Which is stupid, because if I don't think I made it clear, I should just go back and _make_ it clear, but whatev.**

**OH YEAH! One last thing... you guys probably have noticed that the characters are using muggle technologies and stuff... and I had intended to have Katie explain where they live and blah blah blah all that good stuff, but I forgot so I'll just add it here. They're living in Muggle London, so of course they have to act _normal_. That means having a TV and a phone and a fridge, etc.**


	2. Chapter 2

Angelina Johnson was one of the first friends I ever made during my first year at Hogwarts. I was a small, timid child, and she took me under her wing, so to speak, and showed me the ropes. I met Alicia through her, for they were dorm mates, and then Fred and George. Oliver had been my next door neighbor for the first 9 years of my life, and at the time was "too popular" to hang out with me, but once Ange turned me "cool," he found interest in me again and that's how we all became the big happy family we are today. Not that Oliver is still shallow or anything... oh no.

Ha!

After their graduation, Ange and Oliver had both gotten spots as reserves on Puddlemere United, and it was only months before they both moved on to become starting players, which is a great honor, especially at such a young age.

But Ange had to take a break once she found out she was pregnant; she wanted only the best for her unborn child and wasn't willing to take any risks by playing, even during the earliest stages of her pregnancy.

I rang the doorbell to the rather large sized house she and Fred Weasley shared. She opened the door immediately and pulled me into a rather motherly hug. She was only three months along and was _just_ beginning to show, however very slightly.

"We're here to help!" I said, smiling at her as she ushered me through the doorway.

"'We'?" she asked, looking puzzled. She stuck her head back out through the doorway and looked around. "Who's 'we'?"

"Oliver and I-" I turned around but the boy had disappeared. "Well, never mind."

"Holy shit, Ange! Where'd you get this thing?" said a voice behind us. Angelina and I nearly jumped through the roof, and turned around to find Oliver, already inside, holding a brand new broom.

"Merlin, Ol, why don't you give Kat and I a heart attack, eh? And how'd you get inside?"

"Never mind that, Angelina! Answer the bloody question!"

"It's a present for Fred. I found it at this little shop in France and thought he'd like it."

"It's for Fred?" Oliver said, scratching his head. "But he'll never use it!"

"He _was_ on the Gryffindor quidditch team, if you do recall," I said, placing my hands on my hips.

"And he does enjoy flying every once in a while. I wanted to get him something nice."

Ange took the broom from Oliver and hid it in a coat closet in the hallway. She led us to the kitchen where Alicia was already seated at the table, reading the back of a box of cake mix.

"You know, Ange," Alicia started, dropping the box. "We could just conjure up a cake and not have to go through all of this mess."

"But I want to do it the muggle way. It's more meaningful."

Alicia huffed and puffed, then decided to boss Oliver and I around.

Hours later, after he and I had decorated the dining room in red and blue streamers and blown up about a million balloons using only the air from our lungs (which made us quite light-headed, I might add) we returned to the kitchen to find Ange and Alicia putting the final touches on a beautiful cake. Once everything was finished, we all made ourselves comfortable in the living room.

"Oliver, I got a call from Herb just a while ago," Ange said. Herb Anchorman was Puddlemere's Coach. He was quite the scary old fellow.

"What'd he want?"

"He said Lena Briggs had an accident at a reserve's practice today and she won't be able to play for the rest of the season."

Oliver took in the information slowly, then crinkled his eyebrows. "So?"

"So? So now that I'm gone, and the one person to take my place as chaser has injured herself... we're lacking in one player! Herb is really desperate, and he said he wanted to have try-outs to find someone else before the next game."

"That sounds bad," Oliver said, rubbing his chin. Alicia rolled her eyes at me and I laughed.

"But, I says to him, 'Herb, I think I know just the person to take that position. She's young, smart, very talented, has played quidditch throughout most of her school career, and is a very close friend of both Oliver and I.'"

I snorted. "Ange, I know you said he's desperate and all, but honestly, Alicia is about to burst, and I don't think it's such a good idea that she-"

"Actually, Katie, I suggested you."

"Fuck!"

"Oh, well that wasn't _quite_ the reaction I had imagined."

"What? Why? I mean... I'm sorry. Why?"

Angelina laughed and rolled her eyes at me. "Why not? You're a bloody brilliant chaser and you've got Oliver and I to back you up. We've seen you play, and we know you'd do great on the team."

"But I haven't played for more than 2 years!" I argued. The year after the rest of them had graduated, I had decided not to try out for the team. Without my friends around, quidditch just wasn't the same. "I haven't been on a broom in ages. I probably play like shit!"

"I think you should try," said Alicia, adding in her two cents.

"Herb already wants to meet you tomorrow morning."

For the first time, I realized I was tense. I took a deep breath and leaned back into the large cushioned chair I was seated in. It was hard to think.

"But if I go... and I make the team... I'll... I'll be playing! I won't just be a reserve, I'll be an actual chaser on the team!"

"And if you're _real_ good, like I know you are," began Ange, "Herb'll keep you. After I have this kid, I'm not jumping right back into work. You could be on the team for at least a year or two, Katie. It's a wonderful opportunity."

I sat looking down at the carpet for a minute. It was a horrible shade of green, I thought. I glanced up at Oliver, who had been sitting opposite me in a chair just like mine. He had been quiet for a while.

"What do you think?" I asked him.

He looked at me for a moment, as if he were concentrating hard on something on my face, and I felt a tiny bit self-conscious before he said, "I don't know, Ange."

"What do you mean you don't know?" She sounded outraged.

"Well, that's like thrusting her right into the limelight. You know how bad the press and the paparazzi are! Do you think she'd be able to handle that? It's not_ just_ about playing quidditch, you know. It comes with a lot of other responsibilities, like interviews and conferences and... and photo shoots and screaming fans and stalkers. And men! Merlin knows all the men would be after her!"

I blushed.

"I just think she's too young and too naive."

"I'll do it, then," I said, trying to cover the anger that I knew was in my voice. Who was Oliver to say I wasn't responsible enough? And that I was too naive?

"Oh! Goody!" Ange said, clapping her hands. Alicia winked at me.

"You don't know what you're going to get yourself into," Oliver said in a low voice.

"I'm a big girl Oliver."

"_Right_."

* * *

Needless to say, I wasn't too happy with Oliver that night. I sat at the counter as he made dinner and tried with every ounce of my being to drill holes into the back of his head with only my eyes.

"You shouldn't glare like that, Katie. It's very unattractive."

The fact that he didn't even turn to look at me before he said it didn't surprise me at all. In fact, it only made me scowl more, especially because he knew me so well.

"Well maybe _you_ should stop being a stupid butthead because it's not very attractive."

He took some plates out of the cabinets and as he did so, he shot me _that look_. The one where he kind of smirks and raises an eyebrow. The one that makes you feel stupid when he gives it to you because you know you've probably just made a fool of yourself.

"Little Miss 'I'm a big girl!' is pouting while stupid butthead Oliver makes her dinner. How very big indeed!"

I couldn't help but smile as he set down a heaping bowl of pasta in front of me.

"Oooh! Food!"

Oliver looked at me strangely before sitting beside me.

"Well, I guess since you're hardheaded and you won't listen to me about not trying out for the team, I could give you some pointers for when you go to meet Herb tomorrow."

"That would be greatly appreciated," I said with my mouth full.

"Don't cuss. Herb doesn't like a dirty mouth. And make sure you talk about how you absolutely _loved_ playing quidditch at Hogwarts, and about how you had the greatest captain the school had seen since... ever!"

"I think you're getting a little off topic, Oliver dear."

"Still, talk about Hogwarts. And sit up straight. None of this hunched over mess that you do all the time."

"Hey!" I slowly pushed myself upwards with my elbows, pretending that my back hadn't just been in the shape of a question mark.

"Wear something a little... _sexy_. But not _too_ sexy, like you're trying to show off all your goods just to reserve yourself a spot on the team. Maybe that green shirt you wore to my mum's birthday party last year; you know, it fit you in _all_ the right places."

I was blushing horribly as I punched Oliver in the arm. "What's wrong with what I usually wear?"

He looked me up and down, taking me in. I was wearing one of his Puddlemere t-shirts and a pair of scraggly old shorts that I was sure I had owned since the beginning of 5th year.

"It's just... listen, Katie. Trust me on this. I'm a man, and I think the way most men do. I know that if you show up looking like you've just rolled out of bed, he'll think you very unprofessional and if you really want this opportunity, you'll do as I say."

* * *

**And that's all for chapter 2! A bit shorter that the first, but they both were put up at the same time, so whatever.**


	3. Chapter 3

I was so nervous about meeting with Herb Anchorman that I didn't sleep one bit that night. I sat in the middle of my bed for hours, willing fatigue to take over, but instead spent the whole time wiping my sweaty hands on my bed covers and attempting to settle my stomach. I could hear Oliver in the next room; his snores were practically shaking the walls.

Oh, how I was envious.

I busied myself by trying on clothes. For hours and hours I dug through my closet, looking for "_sexy, _but not _too_ sexy" outfits and trying them on. I finally settled on a strapless dark green sun dress with a big green polka-dotted bow on the back. Maybe it didn't make me sexy, but I sure as hell was cute.

At a quarter to eight, I got dressed. Oliver was still asleep, so I left a note on his door telling him to be at Ange's house for the twins' surprise party at 12. I'd pick up their gifts on my way back from meeting with Herb.

Luckily, Herb wanted to meet me at a small café in the wizarding part of London, so I was able to appararate. It had been a while since I had, and I happily welcomed the feeling that used to make me sick when I did so. Living in the muggle part of town was great; I was muggle born and lived as one for the first ten years of my life. But being a witch and having powers makes it a hundred times harder to do simple, everyday things, like walking to shopping centers or cleaning up.

I arrived at McKinley's Café right at 8 o'clock. I spotted Herb immediately; he was seated at a small round table outside drinking a steaming cup of coffee. Next to him was a girl. She looked very familiar, but I couldn't match a name to her face. Herb glanced at the watch on his arm and I fell out of my stupor and hurried over to the table.

"Hi Mr. Anchorman."

Herb looked up at me and smiled.

"So you must be the girl I've heard so much about! Well, sit down, Katie. Sit down."

I sat and ordered a cup of hot chocolate from the waitress. Herb took another sip from his mug. I glanced around nervously, watching the people out in the street.

"Oh, where are my manners? Katie, this is Claudette Novelle. She's one of Puddlemere's chasers. I brought her along today."

So that's where I had seen her before! Oliver and Angelina had talked all about her, and I had met her at one of their games one time. I stuck my hand out to shake hers, but she only looked at it and scowled. I frowned, putting my hand back in my lap.

"Pleased to meet you," she said with a heavy french accent. She didn't look very pleased. Her long black hair was making her pale skin seem almost translucent. She had thin, high-arched eyebrows and high cheekbones. She looked no older than 25, and was quite pretty, but her snobby demeanor made her very unattractive.

The waitress brought me my drink and Herb started asking me questions. The meeting only lasted about an hour, and I felt I had done quite well. Herb seemed very pleased with me and asked me to come to a team practice in the next week. He wasn't at all the horrible man I'd expected him to be after listening to Oliver and Ange rant on and on about him, but I guess I'd have to make it through a practice with him to see his true colors.

"It was great to meet you, Katie," he said, standing up. "I've got to go visit my grand kids now. Have a great day!" He was gone in a puff of smoke before I had a chance to say goodbye.

"Well," I said, standing up. "I'm going off shopping before a party today. It was great to meet yo-"

"Shopping?" Claudette asked. "I zink I shall go with you. We can go to my favorite spot. I love to get ze clothes zere." She stood up, and surprised me with how tall she really was.

"Actually, I kind of need to-"

"Nonsense. You can come with me. I vant to get to know ze real Katie Bell, not ze Katie Bell zat you were today."

"Oh, that _was_ me, I-"

"You don't 'ave to fake to me, Katie." Claudette looped her arm around mine and started walking. "We are going just around ze corner 'ere. Zis shop is _tres bien_!"

I could do nothing but follow.

"So, how is living with Ollie? Is he as crazy off ze field as he is on ze field?"

This question caught me off guard. "Uhh, he's pretty crazy anywhere he is, I guess."

"You know, he is _tres mignon_. Do you zink he is... how you say... attractive?"

"Well, uh, yeah, I guess."

"So do you love him?"

"What? Oh, no! No! Look-"

"Good, because I am zinking of asking him to ze signing party whenever we get ze new player for our team. Whoever _zat_ may be."

Claudette let go of me and walked inside a small french shop, leaving me confused out on the cobblestone road. I watched the door for a minute to see if she would come back and insist that I go with her, but she never did. I turned around and ran as fast as my little green heels could take me.**__**

**_

* * *

_**

It took me hours to find something to get for Fred and George's birthday. Honestly, it's hard to find something for two grown men who act like children and own the most successful joke shop in all of Europe.

But they'll both be fathers soon... so I got them each a "World's Greatest Dad" t-shirt - blue for George and green for Fred - and books with baby names and their meanings. I knew for a fact that Alicia and George hadn't decided yet, and I was sure Ange and Fred hadn't even _thought_ of it.

A simple spell and the gifts were wrapped, and I apparated over to Ange's house.

"Oh, thank goodness, Katie! You're here! George called about five minutes ago and said he and Fred would be here in 15 minutes!"

Angelina shoved me into the dining room where Alicia and Oliver were already seated.

"Well don't you look precious!" Alicia said, clasping her hands together and letting her mouth gape open. "Ange, she looks precious! Oliver, isn't she precious?"

Oliver was just staring.

"I know, I know," I said. "It's not sexy enough. But I think Herb really likes me, with or without the dress."

Ange came back into the room with the cake she had made the day before. "Oh, girl I'm sure he'd like you much more without it." She and Alicia laughed and I blushed, realizing what I had said. "I'm glad it went well for you. I knew it would." She sat down across from me and beside Alicia.

"That Claudette girl was there," I said as we waited.

"Claudette? Merlin, how did _that_ go?" Ange asked me.

"Well, she was all like, '_Je suis fraincaise et tres jolie_.' She had her nose up in the air the whole time, and then when I was about to leave, she tried to drag me off to some french clothing shop and all she wanted to talk about was _Ollie, Ollie, Ollie._" I leaned over and nudged Oliver with my shoulder.

"Why was she talking about me?" he asked.

"She's going to ask you to the signing party whenever you get a new player. 'Whoever_ zat_ may be!'"

"Merlin, I don't want to go with her. She's so... so..."

"Snobby?"

"Evil?"

"Man-voiced and nasal?"

Alicia, Ange and I all exchanged looks and laughed.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

The front door closed and Angelina jumped up from her seat. "I'm in here!" she called.

The rest of us got up and we all stood at the end of the table behind the cake and the presents. Fred and George stepped through the doorway to the dining room and before any of us knew what was going on, Alicia was singing the happy birthday song at the top of her lungs.

"Good god, woman!" Fred yelled, and clamped his hands over his ears. George, on the other hand, strode over to Alicia and shut her up pretty quickly with his lips.

"Now what's all this?" Fred asked. "Why, blimey, George, I think it's our birthday!"

"Of course it is, mate! Look at the cake! It's got our names on it!"**__**

**_

* * *

_**

By the time all of the cake was gone and the presents opened, Ange had snakes for hair and I was in the bathroom trying to figure out ways to get rid of bright red eyes that could have given even Voldemort the willies. Fred and George were both wearing the t-shirts I had gotten them, and were dueling each other for "the right to wear them," sometimes missing their target horribly and hitting one of us innocent bystanders instead.

Oliver yawned, and that was my cue to get up. "Well guys, we're gonna head back home. I hope you like the stuff and had a great birthday!"

"Of course we like the stuff, Katie! How else would Ange and I have found the perfect name for our baby? Little Thaddeus Eugene Weasley will have you to thank for his constant bullying!"

I gave everyone a hug and followed Oliver to the front door. "Are we not apparating?" I asked as he opened it up and walked out to the street.

"It's too beautiful a night," he said, extending his hand to me. I took it and let him pull me along.

"Aren't you proud of me? I may get to play alongside you during your next match!"

"If you're playing alongside me then you're doing a terrible job as a chaser."

"Oh, you know what I mean! It'll be just like it was back at Hogwarts! I'm so excited, I hope I make it!"

Oliver sighed heavily and I frowned.

"Why don't you want me to make the team, Oliver?"

"It's not that I don't want you to make the team, I just don't want you to get hurt. It's a dangerous sport - much more dangerous professionally than it was at Hogwarts, and if something happens to you, I'd... I'd go out of my mind."

I looked up at the stars and grinned to myself. Oliver pulled me close and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You look pretty freaky with those red eyes," he said, smiling at me. I ducked my head down, letting my hair fall across my face. I had forgotten about them.

"I swear, if they're not gone by the time I wake up tomorrow morning, Fred and George are going to die."

Oliver stopped me and tapped his wand to the tip of my nose. I felt a strange heat travel through my face and it made me sneeze.

"All better," he said.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I asked.

"I picked it up sometime at Hogwarts. Marcus Flint, the ugly bastard, turned my eyes green during one of our matches. Green! Can you believe it! How horrid a color!"

"Hey!"

We reached our apartment complex and we were greeted by Barney, the doorman. I don't know when the man sleeps, for he's always been there to open the door for me every time I've gone out at all times of the day. I quickly transfigured a galleon into ten pounds inside my purse and handed it to him.

He glanced down at it, then back up at me and opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him.

"Nu-uh-uh, Barn," I said, waving my finger at him. "If you question me I might just take it back. Besides, you deserve it." I winked at him and followed Oliver to the elevators.

The ride up was a long one. Oliver watched the numbers above the doors change with each passing floor, and I kept glancing nervously at my reflection in the large mirrors that covered the elevator walls. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that my eyes were indeed back to their normal color.

Once back to our flat, Oliver and I went to our rooms to get ready for bed. It had been a long day, for myself, at least, and I really wanted to get to sleep. Thinking about everything that had happened, and everything that could _possibly_ happen was overwhelming.

After I changed into my pyjamas, I tiptoed into the kitchen to get a drink of water. As I was getting a glass down from the cabinets, a pair of arms snaked their way around my waist. Oliver put his head on my shoulder and watched as I filled the glass from the tap and began to drink.

"I think the twins knew I had nothing to do with the presents that were supposed to be from _us_," he said. I could feel the vibrations of his voice in his chest against my back. "They kept shooting me these looks as they were unwrapping everything, as if they were saying, 'Where's _your_ gift, Oliver?'"

I slammed the glass down and grasped onto the edge of the counter. I had downed nearly the whole thing without so much as a single breath of air. My mum says I do it too often - gulping things down so quickly, I mean - and it's the reason I tend to burp so often. Very unladylike, she says.

"And you looked very good today, Katie."

"Thanks," I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I dumped what was left in the glass down the drain and turned to face him. "Well, I'm off to-"

I was surprised when Oliver leaned forward and kissed me on the mouth, not unlike he had done the night before, only this time, his lips lingered a little longer over mine. The action sent shivers down my spine and I got a very strange fluttering sensation in my stomach. He pulled away and gave me a quick kiss on each side of my mouth, then the tip of my nose before turning and disappearing down the darkened hallway.

I stood against that counter for a while, thinking. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a new addition to our friendship or what, but I wasn't complaining.

I hurried back to my room with a huge grin on my face. I crawled into my big comfy bed, and just as I got situated and snuggled into my pillow, I burped rather loudly. I slapped my hand over my mouth and went into a fit of giggles.

From somewhere else inside the apartment, Oliver yelled, "Ewww!"

* * *

**Chaptahhhhh 3. Thanks to my... 4 reviewers, haha! I noticed that I'm getting a LOT more hits than reviews (well, obviously, but it's like 1 review for every... 100 hits), and then I realized I didn't have anonymous reviews enabled, so... if there happened to be someone who wanted to review but didn't have an account, I'm sorry. You can review now. I'm not one of those authors that really WANT WANT WANT reviews though, so its okay if you don't want to. Criticism won't really change what I do anyway, because I'm doing this for my own enjoyment as well! I'll try to have chapter 4 up sometime soon. So far, I have nothing else typed (but don't worry! I never do haha!) but I have everything planned out til at least chapter 5 or 6. So it shouldn't be toooooo long between updates. Hopefully I'll get all of 4 written tomorrow. Well.. today... since it's already 4:15AM. Jeeze, I'm rambling. Sorry.**

**DON'T FORGET TO CHECK MY PROFILE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all, let me say that I'm not completely happy with this chapter. Nothing really interesting (i.e. Katie/Oliver action) happens in it, but I feel I needed to write it to move the story along. So as soon as I get this posted, I'm going to begin writing the next chapter, and hopefully that will have a little more fluffy stuff. Maybe.

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My practice with the rest of the team was on the following Saturday. I arrived with Oliver to a stadium I had never been to before. We were greeted by the rest of the team, some I had met before, others I had not.

Herb arrived right at 9 o'clock with a whistle around his neck and a clipboard in his hand. He told us to introduce ourselves before we got started, and disappeared inside a small booth at the end of the pitch.

"I'm Mark Finch," said a rather large, burly man with bright red hair. "I'm a beater."

I shook his hand and smiled.

"Travis McNeely, seeker." Travis was a small man.

"Bryan Farrenhurst." He took my hand and gave it a kiss. "Beater."

"You already know me," said Claudette. She was examining her nails and looked very uninterested. "I 'ad a date today, but 'ad to cancel it to come to zis practice. I do not appreciate Herb scheduling a practice after he 'as already said zat zere would be no practice."

"Chill out, Claud." said the man standing next to her. He had yet to introduce himself. "You know this is necessary. Herb just wants to see how Katie plays. I'm sure it won't take long, and you can call up your man and-"

"I do not need advice from you, Calvin."

The man, Calvin, rolled his eyes at me and shook my hand. "Calvin Spencer. I'm the other chaser." He let go of my hand and took a step towards me. "You know, if you make the team, you'll be the most attractive woman that's ever been on it. How old did you say you were?"

Oliver grabbed the back of the practice robes Ange had lent to me and pulled me by his side. "Back off, Spencer. She's only 18."

Herb returned with seven brooms in his hands and started handing them out. I took mine from him and followed everyone else as they mounted their brooms and kicked off the ground.

I hadn't been on a broom by myself since the end of my fifth year at Hogwarts. That was the last year I played quidditch, and after everyone graduated, I locked my broom up in a closet at my parents house and hadn't taken it out since. But despite the fact that it had been ages since I had flown, everything felt so familiar, and I felt content.

I glanced over at Oliver who was watching me with a knowing smile on his face.

Herb split the team up into two; Oliver as the keeper, Mark as the beater, and I as the chaser for one team, and Claudette as the keeper, Bryan as a beater, and Calvin as the chaser for the other. Travis was told just to practice catching the snitch.

Claudette really wasn't very good at being a keeper. It was easy for me to get the quaffle past her and into the hoops. Each time I did, she would glare at me. If I made the team, I could tell the two of us were definitely going to have some problems.

And Calvin! Every time I had the quaffle, he'd say he was trying to steal it as his excuse for touching me. He'd try especially hard if I held the ball anywhere close to my chest in an attempt to keep it away from him. I heard Oliver yell at him a few times, but the man just didn't give up. He even knocked me off my broom once and I fell at least ten feet to the ground and landed right on my bum. The fall wasn't so bad, but having to sit on my broom afterwards was hell.

Herb realized trying to score with Claudette as the keeper was proving too easy for me, so he dismissed the beaters and had us three chasers work at getting the ball past Oliver. Calvin and Claudette just couldn't do it; no matter what they did, Oliver was always a step ahead and caught the ball easily before it got anywhere near the three hoops. I, on the other hand, was quite good at scoring against him. The years I had been ordered to do just the same back at Hogwarts had taught me all of Oliver's moves and tricks, and shown me his weaknesses. I scored at least 100 out of the 120 points we had made at the end of the drill, and I could see Herb smiling as he stood below us.

Next he had us practice formations and passing. The formations were much more complicated than the ones Oliver used to draw up in his big quidditch notebook back at Hogwarts, but it was nothing I wasn't capable of doing.

Sure enough, by the end of the day, Herb's whistle and his yelling were about to drive me crazy. When the practice was over, he called us all onto the middle of the pitch.

"Well, I have some good news, and I have some bad news."

I glanced up at Oliver nervously, and he slipped a comforting arm around my shoulders. I heard Claudette scoff and looked at her. She was staring me down and practically snarling at me!

"The good news is... well, it looks like we've found ourselves a new chaser!"

I was floored. I stood still while the others clapped and patted me on the back. I didn't notice I had been gaping until Oliver closed my mouth with his hand.

"What's the bad news, coach?" someone asked.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, the bad news. There is no bad news. I just wanted to give you a scare, that's all. Now hit the showers."

I looked at Oliver while the others were making their way to the locker rooms. He was grinning madly, and he pulled me into a huge hug and spun me around.

"I can't believe it!" I said, almost yelling. "I made the team! I'm a professional quidditch player! I'm... oh Merlin, I'm going to be rich! I've got to call my mum and dad! I've got to tell Ange and Alicia! I-"

"Calm down, Katie! Breathe! Let's go get a shower and we'll celebrate when we get home, alright? We'll invite Ange and Alicia and the twins and... and I'll let you get nice and drunk and we'll all have a really good time, alright?"

I nodded.

Oliver pulled me into the locker rooms and the first thing I saw was Calvin's naked rear end.

"Holy mother of- where's the lady's room!" I screamed, shrinking back against the wall and covering my eyes.

"Oh, uh, Katie... professional quidditch isn't much like it was back at Hogwarts. In most of the stadiums in Europe the men and women all share one locker room. I guess it's just something you'll have to get used to," Oliver said, taking my wrists in his hands and prying my hands away from my eyes. I looked straight ahead, never letting my eyes trail away from his face. I could see the skin-colored blobs walking around behind him. I wanted to puke.

"What is ze matter 'ere?"

Oliver turned around and I glanced over his shoulder. There stood Claudette in all her _au naturel _glory. Did the woman have no decency?

"Katie here's not used to the whole co-ed locker room thing," Oliver explained.

"Well I do not see what is ze big deal. We are all adults in zis room, surely we 'ave all seen everyzing before, _non_?" She sauntered off towards the showers and got inside a stall, pulling the curtain shut behind her.

I was seriously freaking out.

"Look, we'll go down to the showers all the way at the end and I'll make sure no one comes down there to look at you, okay?"

I nodded and followed Oliver to the back of the building with my duffle bag full of clothes in one hand. I took the shower in the corner and glanced around before I slowly began to peel my muddy robes off. Oliver was practically ripping his clothes off, and by the time he got to his boxers, I had to say something so he wouldn't go any farther while I was watching. He waited until I had stripped down to my bra and panties and we both got inside the showers.

I secured the curtain's edges to the wall of the shower with three spells before I took my underwear off and hung it along the curtain rail. I heard Oliver chuckling in the stall beside mine.

The warm water felt so good to my aching muscles that I temporarily forgot that there were naked men running around the same room I was currently in. I bathed and washed my hair, then just stood until all the warm water ran out.

I turned the shower off and bent down, reaching an arm behind the curtain to grab my bag. I felt around, frowning. Surely I hadn't set it _that_ far away from the shower? I leaned out even further, but didn't feel it.

"Oliver? Oliver?" I called, but the stall beside mine was silent and the water was no longer running. I stuck my head out and looked around. My fucking bag was gone! I glanced up to get the underwear that I had hung over the curtain rail, but they were gone also. "OLIVER!"

"He's outside with the others talking to Herb."

I looked up and there was Calvin across the room, nude and holding my bag right in front of his bits! If they were touching my stuff, he was going to be a dead man.

"Give me back my bag, Calvin." My voice was awfully low.

"Why don't you come take it from me. Here," he said, holding it out towards me.

"Calvin, please give it back. Please don't be a jerk."

"I am giving it back. You just have to walk ten steps to come get it."

I retreated back into the stall. I could feel tears welling up behind my eyes and I was getting really mad at Oliver for not being there when he told me he would be. I stood staring at that stupid gray curtain for the longest time.

Hey... the curtain...

I ripped it down from the bar it was on and quickly wrapped it around under my arms. It was long and got horribly tangled around my knees, but that didn't stop me from taking off after Calvin.

"Oh shit!" he cried before running straight out the door of the locker room, for there was nowhere else to go inside it and I'm sure he could tell by the look on my face that once I caught him, I wasn't going to just take my bag and leave him alone. Oh no, I was certainly on a death mission.

"Spencer, what the bloody hell are you doing? Get some clothes on man!" I heard Herb yell as I pushed open the locker room doors. They slammed against the wall and I took off running towards the naked man who was already halfway across the pitch with my bright red bag under his arm.

"Katie!" I heard Oliver yell as he took off after me.

I kept my eyes trained on Calvin and silently cheered when I saw him do a face plant right into the sand beneath the three big hoops. I caught up with him quickly and fell to the ground, slapping and punching any and everything I could while still holding the shower curtain tightly around myself.

Heavy footsteps came up behind me and I was lifted off the ground.

"What is going on?" asked Oliver. He struggled to keep me back as I squirmed around in his arms.

"I was just playing with her, jeeze!" Calvin stood up, covering himself with one hand and handing my bag back to Oliver with the other. "She's a fucking psycho bitch!"

"If you hadn't taken my clothes I wouldn't _be_ a fucking psycho bitch! And you haven't even _seen_ what I'm-"

I was interrupted by a funny but familiar feeling in my stomach, and Oliver and I were standing in our flat's living room before I realized that he had apparated the two of us back home.

"Why didn't you stay with me?" I yelled. My hair was still dripping wet and was sticking to my bare shoulders.

"Herb called us out. I was gone for maybe five minutes!"

"Well... you... I hate you!" I turned and stomped off towards my room, curtain and all.

* * *

Oliver and I made up and after I called my mum and dad and told them the good news (to which they replied, "Oh, that's great honey! Your little brother made an A+ on his spelling test today!"), we decided to celebrate.

I apparated to Alicia and George's apartment. They were seated around the coffee table playing wizard's chess. "I made the team, get your asses to our flat right this instant!"

Then I apparated to Ange and Fred's house. "Hey! I made the team! Come to- oh, sorry!" Ange looked up from her spot on the couch where she and Fred had been snogging rather forcefully.

"Get the fuck out of here!" she yelled.

"Going, going, see you at my flat, right?" And I was gone.

Oliver had gotten bottles upon bottles of butterbeer and fire whiskey. Fortunately for Ange and Alicia, everything would be safe for their babies, for wizard's alcohol was nothing like that of the muggles.

We were all laughing and talking in the kitchen. I was definitely trashed; I was seeing two of everything and my tongue felt like a big fuzzy brick in my mouth.

"I'm go'n to th-the loo," Alicia said, stumbling out of the kitchen.

"Hurry back, babe," George said, tilting his head sideways as she left the room. He took a long swig of his fire whiskey. "She may be pregantnent, uh pregnant, but she's still got a nice ass!"

Oliver was the only one who laughed. I glared at him. He wasn't supposed to be looking at Alicia's ass. The only ass he was allowed to look at was...

No, no that wasn't right! I'm not his girlfriend. I don't want him looking at my ass!

I crawled onto the top of the bar everyone was seated at and stretched out on my back. Angelina tickled the exposed skin on my stomach and I jerked forward. This action caused my head to spin and I rolled off of the counter and hurried to the bathroom. I felt like I was going to be sick.

I pushed open the door and gasped at the site in front of me.

Alicia was standing with her hands grasping the bathroom sink, her legs spread a meter apart, and a clear liquid was running down her legs and falling into a puddle from beneath her dress.

"Alicia!"

She turned towards me, her eyes puffy with tears. "I need a doctor."


	5. Chapter 5

I took hold of Alicia's hand and apparated right into the waiting room of St. Mungo's. I helped her into a seat and notified the witch at the front desk of our situation before apparating back home.

Everyone jumped when I landed in the kitchen.

"Katie, what's going on?"

"Alicia... her water broke, and I took her to St. Mungo's."

George nearly fell off his stool. "What?"

"You heard me, let's go!"

We all met Alicia back in the waiting room. The witch I had spoken to had given her paperwork, and by the looks of it, nothing was getting done. The clipboard sat on the top of Alicia's belly, and her hands were grasping the arms of the chair as though she would fall into the depths of hell if she didn't.

George ran to her side and tried to calm her, while Ange and Fred took the clipboard and began filling out the paperwork. Oliver and I stood awkwardly to the side, watching.

"Well... shouldn't we get her to a room with a doctor?" Oliver asked, scratching his temple.

"Uhh..."

"Alicia Weasley?"

We all turned to find a mediwitch standing in front of the two swinging doors that lead to the delivery rooms. She had a wheelchair, and we watched as it rolled on its own over to Alicia. She quickly settled in it, and she and George followed the witch down the hall.

"So I guess all we do now is wait?" I asked, looking around. Oliver claimed an empty couch and I curled up beside him with my head in his lap.

Across the room, a little boy sat with what looked to be his older brother, who had a wand stuck right through his head; in one ear and out the other. The younger boy was watching us with curiosity, and it wasn't long before he skipped over.

"You're Oliver Wood!" the boy said loudly. Oliver laughed nervously and looked around. Other guests in the waiting room heard the boy and were watching Oliver with interest. A few of the mediwitches who were talking to the girl at the front desk turned, and began giggling incessantly.

Before long, there was a line of fans wanting to get both Oliver and Angelina's autographs. I sat beside Oliver and watched him smile and shake hands. Someone had provided him with a quill, and people were grabbing anything they could find of little importance and transfiguring it into a picture of Oliver for him to sign. His signature was well practiced and only one squiggly line that took less than half a second to write.

I glanced over at Ange. Her hand moved much like Oliver's did over a piece of parchment and she handed it back to the little girl it belonged to.

I grinned to myself; it wouldn't be much longer before I would be in their positions, signing things for fans. _Fans_.

Except I'd actually take the time to write out my name legibly.

An hour later, I found myself stretched across a couch in the corner. Oliver, Ange, and even Fred, who was also quite famously known for his and George's joke shops, were engaged in conversation with people. I made myself comfortable and went to sleep.

* * *

"Katie! Katie, wake up!"

I was jerked awake by strong hands. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the figure looming over me.

"Alicia had the baby! It's a girl!" said Oliver. "Her name is Daphne Noelle."

I grinned, sitting up. "Can we go see her?" I asked.

"Yeah, c'mon." He took hold of my arm and led me down a hallway and to the right. There was Alicia, propped up on a bed in one of those silly polka-dotted hospital gowns, with a bright pink baby lying across her body. George was standing over her, cooing.

"Hey guys," Alicia whispered as we walked in. I hurried over to her side and gave her a hug, looking down at the newly born baby as I did so. Oliver clapped George on the back and gave him one of those macho man-hugs that guys do, and we all kind of stood there looking at the small, peaceful child.

"How do you feel?" I asked Alicia, trying to be quiet as best I could.

"I'm as fine as fine can be after just experiencing the worst pain in the whole entire world."

Hearing her voice, the baby lifted it's head a little, then put it back down. Her little hands gripped onto the fabric of Alicia's gown and one of her legs gave a little kick.

"Awww..." Alicia and I said at the same time.

"I want a baby, now," I said, gazing longingly at the adorable little person. It must have felt amazing for George and Alicia to know that they had brought that little baby into the world.

"Well, mate," George said, looking at Oliver. "Looks like you've got some work to do." He laughed, and Oliver laughed nervously, just as he had done out in the waiting room when the little boy called his name. I ignored them and watched the baby sleep.

"Where's she at? Where's the little baby?" Angelina hurried into the room, pulling Fred behind her. "Oh, Ali, she's so beautiful."

"She gets it from her dad," Fred said, giving a thumbs up to George. George winked.

"I don't think so," Ange said. "She's got a head full of brown hair, just like her mama."

"But look at that nose! That is definitely a Weasley nose!" George declared.

"Yeah, you're right."

I backed away, feeling unbelievably jealous. "You all are so lucky," I said, sitting in a cold metal chair against the wall. "You both will have cute little babies to look out for and take care of, while I'm still running around getting treated like one."

Angelina put a comforting arm around me. "Oh, Kat. One day you'll find that someone special and you'll be able to have all the babies you want! And who know's, maybe you've already found him!"

Oliver and I looked at each other. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm tired," I announced, standing up. "I'm sorry I can't stick around longer, Alicia, but I've had a tiring day, and I'm just gonna go home and get some sleep. I'll be back early in the morning to annoy you and steal your baby." At that comment she hugged the child to her chest, sticking her tongue out at me. "Congratulations, I'm so happy for you!" I said before exiting the room.

When I got back to the flat, I changed into a tank top and a pair of shorts. The sky, I had noticed through the window, was so beautiful; the stars were bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I stood on the balcony for a while, letting the light breeze tousle my hair and stared up at the moon. A shooting star flew across the sky and disappeared. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face, and I turned to go back to my room.

Once safely under my covers, sleep took no time at all to come.

* * *

I was having the strangest dream. Oliver and I were at quidditch practice, and Herb was barking orders, and I don't mean yelling them, I actually mean he was _barking_. After everyone mounted their brooms and flew away, Herb kept me down on the ground with him and began licking my face. His tongue was long and disgusting. Up in the air above us, Oliver was laughing as I tried desperately to push the dirty old man away. The farther I pushed him, the longer his tongue reached out to drag itself across my cheeks. It traveled farther down, and when it made it's way right across my lips, my eyes shot open and I flew upwards in my blankets, catapulting something heavy off my chest and listening to it make a loud 'thump' on the floor at the foot of my bed.

"Katie! You'll hurt him!"

Oliver, whom I had just noticed was standing at the door of my room, hurried to the end of my bed and bent down.

"Huh?" I asked. My mind was still cloudy with sleep and that was the only coherent thought I could muster up.

When Oliver stood up straight again, he had in his hands a little yellow ball of fur.

"Whu?" came my surprised reaction. I rubbed my left eye and sat Indian style, trying to figure out what was going on.

Oliver sat beside me, and dropped the ball of fur on my bed. It bounced around, then jumped up and I squealed with glee.

"PUPPY!" I cried, picking up the little yellow doggy and hugging him to my chest. He licked my face and my neck and grabbed mouthfuls of my hair. I immediately loved him.

"I noticed you were kinda bummed last night about... well, about not having a baby, I guess," Oliver said, scratching the back of his head. He seemed uncomfortable. "And this was the best I could do for you. Well, I mean, not the _best_. I mean... I-I guess with me - and _you_ - you know, you could... we could actually _have _a baby, you know. Not that I _want_ to or anything, I was just saying getting you a puppy wasn't the best I could do, because, well, when you have a woman and a man, the two can make a baby and I just... I just... thought maybe that was a bit drastic... and, and... I'm going to shut up now."

I was squinting at Oliver. Whatever he had just said had confused the crap out of me. He was very obviously trying to avoid making eye contact with me, and when he finally did, he blushed.

"Umm... what's his name?" I asked, changing the subject.

"That's up to you. He's a ten week old golden retriever. The witch I got him from was calling him Fuckstick, and I didn't really think that was a good name for him..."

"When I was little, I got a puppy named Jake, and he got run over by a car the second week we had him. So I'm going to name him Jake. Hey! Little Jakey-wakey!"

I set him down and drummed my hands on the bed. He crouched down low and started barking the cutest little bark I had ever heard. He pounced and grabbed onto my hand with his little doggy teeth. I pulled it away and pushed him back. We played like that for a few minutes, him jumping and biting me and me pulling away, until he decided he didn't want to mess with my hands anymore and latched his sharp little teeth right onto my bosom. I yelped and nearly threw him into the next week. Oliver howled with laughter as I clutched myself in my hand.

"Smart little guy, aren't ya?" he said between laughs, picking Jake up and scratching his head.

"It's not funny, Oliver. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if he did the same to you." I pulled my covers up and wrapped them around my shoulders, hiding underneath.

"I'm sure I wouldn't, if I had any for him to bite." He stood up, calling for the puppy to follow him, muttering something about "deserving a treat."

"Oliver, wait." He stopped in the doorway and turned around. I jumped out of the bed and ran to hug him. "Thank you. You're the best friend anyone could ever ask for." I pulled back, and looked up at him. He had been grinning, but suddenly looked so serious. I watched his eyes travel all over my face, and then his lips parted ever so slightly. I leaned forward, letting my eyes flutter shut, and then I heard it.

Jake was making a small puddle on the floor.

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**Sorry there were no pictures for Chapter 4. There's only one crappy one for Chapter 5.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I HAVE PUT UP 2 CHAPTERS AT ONCE, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER 5, MAKE SURE YOU GO BACK AND DO THAT... I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU ACCIDENTALLY SKIPPING A CHAPTER!

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The next week went by quickly. Alicia and the baby were finally home from St. Mungo's, and I did her errands while she and George stayed at home being parents.

Fred and Angelina flew to America for two weeks to see about having a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes opened up over there.

Oliver kept to himself, which was rather unusual.

And little Jakey-wakey was just the most adorable, perfect puppy (besides the constant need to cover the floor with his little doggy pee).

My position as chaser for Puddlemere United had finally been announced to the International Quidditch Athletic Association, but the signing party that would make it official to the public had not yet been set a date. I was anxious for it to hurry up and happen, for I fantasized constantly about the day when someone notices me for the first time and asks for my autograph.

One Saturday evening, Alicia had asked me to stay the night with little Daphne while she and George got out of the house for the first time in a while. I agreed, and when I went back to my flat to get my things, Oliver was nowhere to be found. I left him a note telling him where I would be if he needed anything, and grabbed my toiletries, along with Jake, and left for Alicia's house.

"Oh, there you are! And you brought the little puppy too! What's his name, Jacob?"

"Jake."

"Well hewoe dere, wittle Jake! I've been dying to meet you!" Alicia cooed as she put on her earrings. She let me into the apartment and I watched her as she finished getting ready.

She looked extremely good for someone who had just had a baby. Granted, she wasn't back down to her normal size six yet, but she was damn close, for she was able to get into her favorite "little black dress" that she only wore on very special occasions. She stood almost half a foot taller than I in a pair of beautiful strappy stilettos and her dark brown hair was curled in beautiful waves around her shoulders.

"How do I look?" she asked, turning to me and letting her arms drop by her side.

"You look amazing," I replied, honestly. She smiled and disappeared down the hall to get her purse.

George emerged from the kitchen in a very handsome black suit and winked at me.

"I'm taking her to Paris tonight, but shhh! She doesn't know."

Alicia took me to the baby's room and showed me where everything was at. She gave one last long look at the child, who was sleeping peacefully in a crib made for a princess, and tears formed in her eyes.

"Look at me, I'm ruining my makeup."

I gave her a hug and reassured her that everything was alright, and she and George finally left.

"Well, Jake. What shall we do?" Jake sat on the floor at my feet and looked up at me, his head cocked to the side.

George and Alicia lived in wizarding London, therefore they didn't have many muggle things in their apartment besides a telephone. That meant no TV, no radio, no computer. Just _what_ was I supposed to do? I had gotten so used to having these things at my own place. How sad it was that I was so dependent on them to entertain myself.

Thirty minutes later, as I twirled Jake around on the hardwood floors, the front door burst open.

"Where is she? Where is my baby?" Alicia cried, nearly tripping over me as she made her way to Daphne's room.

I looked up at George, who was taking his blazer off and putting it on the coat rack.

"We were standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, when she just bursts out into tears, screaming, 'I want to go home! I miss my baby!'"

Alicia returned with her daughter in her arms, kissing the top of her head and bouncing her gently.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Katie," she said between sobs. "Because I trust you with Daphne the most out of the whole bunch. It's just that I can't leave her alone. Not yet. I missed her so much, I was so worried."

"Oh, it's alright Alicia, I understand." And I did. My mum was the same way right after she had my little brother. She wouldn't even let me babysit him for the first two years of his life, and I was his _sister_!

George helped me gather my things and Jake, and I went back home, somewhat relieved that I wasn't going to have to change a dirty diaper after all.

I unlocked the door and was greeted with complete darkness. Assuming Oliver was in bed asleep, I quietly closed the door back up and locked it, then turned on a small lamp that sat on a table beside the couch. Jake jumped from my arms and climbed into his basket, curling up on a little pillow I had gotten him, and shut his eyes.

I slipped my shoes off, and as I was turning the knob of the door to my room, I heard giggling from Oliver's room.

Strange. Oliver giggling? So he must be awake?

I opened his door and flicked on the overhead light.

"Alicia ended up..."

I froze.

There, tangled up in Oliver's ugly blue bed sheets with Oliver, was Claudette.

"Katie! I thought you were out for the night!" Oliver said as he sat up. His eyes were huge and his eyebrows were raised so high they almost made it to his hairline. Claudette sat smiling devilishly beside him, and I noticed that the ugly pink lipstick she was wearing was also all over Oliver's lips, cheeks, on his shoulder, and on his chest.

"Well are you going to just stand zere? Close ze door, _si vous plait_!"

I nodded, unblinking.

"And while you are at it, would you mind getting Ollie and I some bottles of water? It is very '_ot_ in 'ere, we are burning up!"

"Katie, I-"

I narrowed my eyes at him before I slammed the door. Jake jumped from his bed in the hallway and slid under the couch, his tail between his legs.

I slammed the door to my room, too, and slid my jacked off, letting it fall in a heap on the floor. I stood in front of my full length mirror, undoing the clasp in my hair. The door opened behind me, and Oliver came in wearing only his underwear.

"Katie, look-"

"Get out of my room! I don't want to hear it!" I opened the door to my closet and pulled a few things from the shelves, throwing them past Oliver and onto the bed.

"Will you just listen to me?" he pleaded, grabbing a hold of my shoulders.

"What do you have to say? You thought I'd be gone, so you invited _her_ over to _fuck _her! What else is there to say?"

Oliver let go of my shoulders and looked at the floor. "Why are you so mad?"

His question surprised me. Why _was_ I so mad? Because, quite possibly, I liked him? Because he was in his room with Claudette and not me?

I groaned at the thought, accepting the fact that I liked him.

"Oliver, just get out of my room."

"No, I don't want to, not after I've made you so mad."

"Oliver, I'm _trying_ to change, will you just get out of my fucking room!"

"Ooh, such 'arsh language!" We both looked at the doorway to see Claudette. She was fully clothed now, and leaning against the doorway putting on a fresh coat of lipstick. "You know, it is very unbecoming of a girl such as yourself to be speaking in such a way."

When I didn't respond to her, she straightened up and put her lipstick in a small purse she was carrying.

"Oh well. Okay, Ollie, I shall see you whenever you pick me up for ze signing party. I hear zat it will be next weekend. _Au revoir_!"

I was quiet until I heard the door shut.

"You're going with _her_? I thought you said you didn't want to go with her!"

"Well, she asked, so I just thought 'what the hell.'"

"_What the hell_? What about _me_, Oliver! Who am I supposed to go with? What am I supposed to do?"

"There are plenty of guys that would go with you, Katie! Plenty! You could even go with Calvin Spencer!"

"Calvin? _Calvin_? You want me to go with that pervert? You want me to go with someone who tried to see me naked the first day I met him? What the_ fuck_ is wrong with you?"

I hadn't realized I was crying until he wiped a tear from my cheek. He pulled me into a hug and I let him, sobbing into his chest.

"I hate you, Oliver. I hate you."

And then he did something I didn't expect; of course, I probably should have, I mean it _has_ been happening quite often, lately.

He gently tilted my chin up with his hand and kissed me. It started off just like the ones he had given me before, but it quickly changed into a snog. His hands were roaming all over me, and it wasn't long until I had found myself backed up against the wall with nowhere to go. His kisses became more urgent and filled with so much passion, that it scared me to wonder where it was coming from. The butterflies that were in my stomach multiplied as his lips trailed down to my neck. He pulled at the collar of my shirt to gain access to my collar bone, and that was where I had to stop him. I pushed him away, gasping for breath.

"What has gotten into you?" I asked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Again he grabbed at me, crushing his lips onto mine. I mentally argued whether or not I should stop him, but the fact that I was actually enjoying it won me over.

It had been over two years since I had last been kissed like that. Roger Davies was my boyfriend, but Oliver quickly broke that up, for fear I was "fraternizing with the enemy" and telling Roger secrets about our quidditch plays and the like.

I don't know how long it had been, but finally he backed away. His chest was heaving up and down as he captured his breath, and I did little to stop myself from checking him out. When I looked back to his face, he was smirking. He left, leaving me leaning against the wall, my hands balled in fists at my sides. I quickly changed into the pyjamas I had thrown out onto my bed earlier and glanced at myself quickly in the mirror, when something caught my eye.

Something pink was smeared all over my lips and face. What was it? Was I sick?

And then I remembered. Claudette's lipstick. She had just finished kissing - no... I was sure it was _much more_ that kissing - Oliver, and then he came and put his lips on mine! I was completely disgusted, telling myself that I had practically just made out with Claudette herself, plus whatever parts of each others bodies that their mouths had touched,and hurried to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

And then brush my teeth again.

And then rinsemy mouthout with mouthwash.

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**Woo. Zat was chapter 6. I 'ave added 2 more pictures to ze profile. Now Katie 'as nasty germs.**

**I swear... I posted that other chapter up at like 11:20... and then wrote this one... and now I'm posting it at 4:50. I'm CUH-RAZY!**


	7. Chapter 7

**FUCKING MOTHER FUCKER FUCK ASS BITCHMONKIES. I HAVE TRIED 254254 TIMES TO UPLOAD THIS SHIT THE LAST TWO FUCKING DAYS AND JUST NOW I SAVED IT AS A .TXT FILE AND IT DECIDES TO WORK. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH MY WORDPERFECT AND MICROSOFT WORD? GODDAMN I'M SO FUCKING MAD. **

**Maybe I should change the rating to M now because of that. Now I have to go through and fix all the italics and shit. Jeeze, what I do for you guys, haha.

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**

_**Exciting Stage in Katie's Career**  
Liam Broughton_

_NEW YORK CITY, shouts Katie Bell's T-shirt in big, bold letters, declaring her to be a woman of the world - but then her socks sport images of muggle cartoon character Scooby Doo. And don't ask the youthful-looking 18-year-old to smile for a photo; she likes the mean and moody look._

_Thoughtful and witty, the quirky young quidditch star approaches interviews with a detached bafflement, giving the impression she has yet to figure out why anyone would want to write about her, although she's aware that they do._

_In the Three Broomsticks, over a butterbeer and sandwich lunch, she starts off revealing that she hasn't been on a broom in nearly two years, and she is happy to admit to being nervous as she muses on the fact that soon will be her world premiere during Puddlemere's next game against the Chudley Cannons in late June._

_"It's a bit of a shock, really," she confesses. "I actually grew up in a normal muggle household, pondering possible careers of normal people, like becoming a doctor or an artist - I'm really into art - but then I went a few years playing quidditch at Hogwarts and thought, 'Yeah! This is for me! This is what I want to do.' And then I quit playing, and when I graduated, it all kind of went downhill."_

_A two-year broom sabbatical may indeed seem extreme for any serious player intent on forging a career in the business, but then Bell has been busy. Sort of. If her face looks vaguely familiar, the chances are you've seen one of the many tabloid pictures of her out-and-about with the one and only quidditch hunk Oliver Wood._

_In fact, any young lass under the age of 18 is unlikely to have to think twice before telling you that Bell is the roommate of Oliver Wood, who was just 18 years old himself when he was signed onto Puddlemere United nearly two years ago. Wood has broken many records over the last few months, including..._

I quickly scanned the rest of the article and dropped the Daily Prophet onto my bed. I had gotten too excited when I had seen a picture of Oliver and I smiling and waving on the front page. Not even halfway through and they were already obsessing about Oliver, without a mention of my name throughout the rest of the piece.

"And then they wonder why I'm so confused about wanting to be interviewed," I muttered to myself, taking a sip of my hot chocolate.

My owl, Peggy, hooted to get my attention, and I handed her a treat for bringing me the Sunday paper. She let me pat her head before disappearing through my opened window.

I snuggled under my covers, unable to push myself up out of the bed. The signing party had been the night before, and I had been up all hours of the night shaking hands and mingling with many of the famous quidditch players who had shown up, including people on other teams. I had had one too many fire whiskey's, and my head was pounding, telling me never to drink alcohol again.

I heard the door to Oliver's room open, and I could hear his bare feet pad along the hardwood floors of the hall as he made his way to the kitchen. He clambered through drawers and cabinets filled with silverware and pots and pans before finally finding what he was looking for.

Oliver and I had pretty much avoided each other the rest of the week – or ever since 'the incident,' as I like to call it. We'd both gone out separately every day, and sometimes I'd come home at night to hear him in his room with Claudette, doing whatever it was he did that made her call out his name so loudly. I'd tip-toe to my room and try to block out the moaning and groaning and go to sleep.

The shrill ring of the telephone nearly gave me a heart attack, and I placed my mug down on the night stand beside my bed and stood up. I leaned against the wall as a strange dizzy sensation came over me, and left the safety of my room to find the phone.

By the time I had made it to the kitchen, which was the only room in our flat with a telephone, Oliver had already answered it, holding it up to his ear with his shoulder while he stirred something in a pot over the stove.

"Yeah, hold on, I'll get her," he said, and held the phone away from his face. "Katie!"

"I'm here," I said, grabbing onto the counter's edge. The smell of whatever he was cooking made me want to vomit, and I felt a tingling in my cheeks that I hadn't noticed before. Suddenly, it was burning hot.

"Are you feeling okay?" Oliver asked, as he handed me the phone. I wasn't, but I waved my hand at him, telling him to leave me alone, and placed the receiver up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Katie!" said a cheery and familiar voice.

"Hey Ange."

"I was just calling to let you know that Fred and I were back in town."

"That's nice. How did your trip go?"

"Oh, it was amazing. I've never been to America before, and it was definitely something else! Everything's very new and modern over there, and where we went in New York, most of the muggles and magic people _knew_ of each other! Isn't that crazy?"

"That is strange. I went to New York with my father a few years back. I loved it."

"So how was the singing party? It was last night, wasn't it? I'm sorry I couldn't be there for it. I nagged Fred the whole time about being back for the ceremony and he took his precious time."

"It was nice. I couldn't believe the stuff they did just for _me_."

"Yes, it was quite strange when Oliver and I were signed, also. Hey, how 'bout you, Alicia and I go out today. You know, just us girls. We could go shopping and out to eat and we could talk bad about the boys all day long."

"I'm gonna have to take a rain check. I'm not feeling too well today."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Oliver looked over his shoulder at me.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe tomorrow then, Kat?"

"Sure, tomorrow."

"Alright then. I'll talk to you later!"

"Bye."

I placed the receiver back onto the cradle and sat down on a stool at the counter. I hadn't wanted to be rude, but the more Ange said, the more my headache worsened, and I just wanted to yell at her to 'shut up.' I put my head down, placing my cheek against the cool marble counter top, and closed my eyes.

"You look like shit, Katie."

"Thanks, Oliver. That's the first thing a girl likes to hear when she gets up in the morning."

He scoffed at my sarcasm and came around behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, and as he started to massage, I felt every muscle in my body constrict.

"You're incredibly tense," he said, his hands moving their way down my back.

"It's because _you're_ touching me," I said matter-of-factly.

"What? Why was there emphasis on the 'you'?"

"You _know_ why, Oliver. Don't act like you don't. All of this kissing business you've been doing, it makes me nervous."

"Nervous? Why can't two best friends of the opposite sex give each other a kiss every once in a while and still remain platonic? I don't see anything wrong with it."

There was so much I wanted to say to him, but I didn't feel like arguing. He acted as though he had given me a little peck on the mouth, when in fact, his tongue had been very active with mine and his hands had been down on my ass and up on my chest.

And didn't the fact that two people had kissed mean that they _didn't_ have a platonic relationship anymore?

Oliver's hands moved to my cheeks, and then to my forehead. "Merlin, Katie, you're burning up!"

_Really? I didn't know_, I thought sarcastically.

He opened a drawer and found an old muggle thermometer. He rinsed it off and put it in my mouth. We waited for few minutes, and then he pulled it out. It read 102.2. He rinsed it off again and put it back where he had found it, then rummaged around inside a cabinet where we kept all of our potions and herbs and pulled out a flask full of a purple liquid and poured it in a glass with some water.

"Drink this," he ordered. "It'll help you cool off a bit."

He tended to the mush he was making at the stove while I choked down the horrible tasting liquid. It felt as though it were burning my esophagus as it went down and settled like a brick into my stomach.

"Mmm, good, eh?" he asked. I nearly chucked the glass at his face as he smirked at me. I wasn't in the mood to be smirked at.

I went into the livingroom and sank down on the couch. Little Jake jumped up onto it and curled up in my lap. I scratched behind his ears and turned on the tv. I watched the muggle news for a while and fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was dark outside and the tv was still on, casting a blue glow onto everything in the dark livingroom. I cursed at myself for sleeping the day away and sat up on my elbows. Jake was lying in a little ball at my feet, and he lifted his head up and yawned when I shifted positions.

There was movement on the floor beside the couch and I looked down to see Oliver. He was lying on his back asleep, in nothing but a pair of shorts. His arm was behind his head, giving me full view of his hairy armpit. I giggled softly, not wanting to wake him up, and scooted to the edge of the couch where I could lay looking down at him for a while.

His mouth was slightly parted with one side curved up a little in what looked to be a smile. I grinned. He looked so peaceful and angelic. It's amazing how being asleep softens the features of any person. I'm sure even Voldemort would seem cute and vulnerable with his eyes closed and his mind caught in a dream.

Oliver's chest rose and fell with each deep breath he took, and I caught myself unable to take my eyes away from it. His body was perfect - not too muscular, but not scrawny, either. He was lithe. My eyes traveled down to his stomach, and then followed the thin trail of hair that started under his belly button and disappeared below the waistline of his pants...

I slapped my forehead. "Get yourself together!"

I turned my attention back to his face and reached a hand out to smooth the hair back from his forehead. But my hand lingered over his cheek for a minute, and for some reason I felt my face heating up. I didn't even notice his eyes open.

"Hey," he said, looking up at me and smiling.

Merlin! He caught me with my hand on his cheek! And still, I couldn't let go!

"Do you feel any better?" he asked, his voice low and raspy.

"Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep."

"No problem."

I pulled my hand away and pushed myself as far back on the couch as I could so that he couldn't see me blushing. Not that he would have been able to anyway, since the only light in the room was coming from the tv, but still, I felt better being out of his sight. He sat up and rested his arms on the couch in front of me.

"Look, Katie... I'm sorry about how I've been acting. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me, so I'll stop with the... with the... you know..." He paused to gesture between the two of us. "Sometimes I just find you_ irresistibly_ attractive and I get caught up in the moment and... well, I'm sorry."

My mind was stuck on "_irresistibly_ attractive" and it took me a moment to realize he was waiting for me to respond.

"Only sometimes?" I asked, pouting.

"Oh, all right. _All_ the time." He smiled and pulled me into a hug. Jake, not wanting to be left out, wedged his way between us and barked.

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**IF THERE'S ANY LIKE... WEIRD SYMBOLS AND CRAP, BLAME IT ON FUCKING FANFICTION... DOT NET,STUPID ASS BITCHTES... WHAT THE FUCK MAN. Oh, and you can blame any spelling mistakes on them too, while you're atit. Haha... alright... I think I'm okay now. Anyways...**

**Sorry for the long wait, guys! I know I hate it when it takes forever for my favorite stories to be updated, but a lot of stuff has been going on for me. I went up to Washington D.C. because my grandpa lives up there and I watched a guy climb over the fence in front of the White House and pee on the lawn. I gave him a dollar when he came back. No police or secret servicemen saw him! It was great!  
Also, there are a couple new pictures for this chapter, but nothing really important, like Oliver's body or them hugging or anything, HAHA! Just silly things that I felt like drawing. And the newspaper article was actually an article written about Sean Biggerstaff that I changed to fit. I know it's plagarism and all, but when I was reading it, I was like OMG this could work for MY story, so I stoled it. Stolendeded it. Bad Delilah!**


	8. Chapter 8

**HEY! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHAPTER 7, GO BACK! I'M PUTTING THIS UP LESS THAN A DAY LATER, SO IF YOU JUST SKIPPED TO THIS ONE, YOU MAY HAVE MISSED SOMETHING! GO BACK! AND NO, I WILL NOT WATCH MY LANGUAGE, THANKS.**

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The very first team practice was two weeks after the singing party. I had forgotten how horrible it was to play in the midday sun wearing an entire practice uniform and my face was dripping with sweat from just walking to the pitch from the locker rooms. Luckily, Herb handed me a pair of goggles - apparently they're required in professional quidditch - that kept the sun out of my eyes. 

Claudette's talent surprised me. I had imagined she was only a mediocre player, but once she got into her element, she proved me wrong. She was amazing.

Almost as amazing as myself.

Everything I had learned at Hogwarts was all coming back to me, and it all felt incredible. The wind in my hair, the broom beneath my body... hell, even the bludger to the back of my skull and the 20 foot fall that followed was exciting.

"For fucks' sake, Farrenhurst! You're supposed to keep the bludgers away from the chasers, not aim at them!"

I was lying on the ground on my back, and my head was buzzing with pain, but I could still detect the anger in Oliver's voice as he landed with a thud beside me.

Someone lifted my head off the ground and patted my cheeks.

"Do you think she's alright?" a deep voice asked.

"She's had worse, that's for sure," replied Oliver.

"But that was a long fall."

"Perhaps she vill not be able to play and ve should get anozer person to play in ze spot of chaser for 'er."

"No, no, that's not necessary. Katie? Katie, do you hear me? Who am I?"

I rolled my tongue around inside my mouth before answering.

"Oliver."

"That's right. And who is that?"

I cracked an eye open to see that he was pointing to Claudette.

"The French Bitch."

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as my head was placed back down on the ground and couldn't resist the grin that made its way to my mouth as I heard my other teammates laugh. Oliver took my hands in his and pulled me to my feet slowly.

"Alright team, I guess you've had enough for today," Herb said, blowing his whistle. We all filed into the locker rooms, and I grabbed my bag from my locker and hurried to the last stall before anyone else had a chance to do anything silly.

Calvin met up with me on my way out of the locker rooms, fully dressed to my relief.

"I know you don't like me, Katie, and you have every right not to," he began. "But I just want you to know that I'm _terribly_ sorry for what happened last time. I'm not usually like that, but I thought maybe a little humor would break you in, you know? But apparently you're not too keen on nude jokes..."

I stopped walking and turned to face him. His eyes were trained directly on mine, and I could tell he was being sincere.

"Do you still think I'm a psycho bitch?" I asked, smiling.

"I don't think you're a bitch, no, but you _are_ a pretty crazy player out there on the field. I've never seen a player perform as aggressively as you do."

"Blame that on Oliver. He taught me everything I know."

We both chuckled at Oliver's expense, and then there was an uncomfortable silence.

"So um... I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out with me tomorrow night? With the rest of the team, of course, but you know... if maybe you'd like to be my date?"

I was surprised by his offer. I studied him for a minute as he bit his lip waiting for me to answer. He was an attractive guy, probably the most attractive, after Oliver, of course. And he seemed nice, I suppose...

"Sure. Why not?"

"Great!" he said, clapping his hands together. "Alright, so we're going to one of those new clubs right outside of London. I'll pick you up at six?"

"That's fine."

"Great! I'll see you then"

* * *

"I knew this day would come!" 

"Shut it, Alicia."

"Well, I did! Even at Hogwarts I always thought you two would get together."

I glared at her and she smiled.

"So what are you going to do?" Ange asked, sipping her pumpkin juice.

"I don't know."

Alicia held up her hand. "You're going to profess your undying love for him and he'll ditch Claudette and you two will live happily ever after in your beautiful flat and have lots of babies."

"I don't think that will work. He likes his fuck buddies and I don't think I'm ready for sex," I replied. Ange and Alicia rolled their eyes.

"He'll wait if he loves you," Alicia said. "And don't say the f-word in front of Daphne." She covered her daughter's ears and the baby giggled.

"Who said anything about him loving me? I only said I liked him. For all I know, he thinks of me as a little sister and that's it."

"Here's what you're going to do." Angelina leaned forward and got down low to the table. "You said you're going out with Calvin tomorrow night, right?"

"Yes."

"And Oliver will be there, right?"

"I suppose so. Calvin said the whole team was going."

"Good. Then you're gong to make Oliver jealous."

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that." I sighed loudly and rested my chin in my hands. Other customers in the Three Broomsticks were staring at Ange and I, having recognized us, and it was a bit annoying trying to have a serious conversation while people were coming up and asking for our autographs.

"Just go out and show Oliver that you can have a good time with Calvin and I'm sure that will do the trick. Have a few drinks, dance a bit, and then give Calvin a good snog when Oliver's looking."

"I can't do that, Ange! I don't want to use poor Calvin! What if he really likes me! I can't lead him on."

"That's why I said have a few drinks, Kat! That way, you can blame your behavior on being drunk"

* * *

I still wasn't completely happy with the plan. It made me feel guilty, but I knew I had to follow through with it if I really wanted to get Oliver's attention. 

The doorbell rang and I checked my appearance one last time in the hallway mirror. I was wearing a light blue and red dress Oliver had gotten me for Christmas one year. It was low cut in the front and went down to my knees. I didn't want my boobs hanging out for everyone to see, so I grabbed a long beaded necklace I had that matched and wrapped it twice around my neck so that my cleavage wasn't too noticeable. I pulled some of my hair back on one side and left the rest down. I had on makeup, but not too much.

_I'd_ date me.

I opened the door and greeted Calvin with a hug. He looked me over and whistled, and I felt myself blushing. He looked really good in a black button-up shirt and khaki pants. His blonde hair seemed to have a mind of its own and was poking out in every direction, but it worked for him. He handed me a rose, and I took it back inside to put it in a vase before we left. Oliver had gone to pick up his whore long before I started getting ready, so I locked the door and we were on our way.

The club was called The Phoenix, and I could hear the loud thumping of music coming from inside long before I even saw the place. There was a long line of witches and wizards out front, waiting to get in, but when the bouncer saw us, he let us through after stamping "VIP" on our hands.

It was dark inside, except for the colorful lights on the dance floor, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust. Calvin said something that I didn't hear and pointed up to a balcony overlooking the rest of the building. I saw the rest of the team, including Oliver and Claudette, sitting around up there laughing and drinking. Calvin pulled me up some stairs near the back and I followed behind him as he greeted everyone with handshakes and manly half-hugs. Farrenhurst, McNeely and Finch all shook my hand and smiled. Claudette sneered at me; I assume she was jealous of my outfit, because it was a hell of a lot nicer that the tight brown contraption she had on. Oliver smiled at me and pointed to my dress, giving it a thumbs up and a wink. I wasn't sure if it was because he bought it for me, or if he thought I looked good in it, but I smiled back nonetheless.

Calvin sat me down in the empty space next to Oliver and told me he'd go get us some drinks.

"How do you like it?" Oliver asked, leaning over so he could speak closer to my ear. It was hard to hear anything over the music.

"It's loud," I yelled. He nodded and went back to talking to Claudette. Calvin returned with a blue drink in one hand and a red one in the other. He held them out for me to choose, and I took the red. He sat down beside me, putting an arm around my shoulder, and chatted with the others. I piped up every now and then, contributing my stories to the conversation when I felt they were needed.

Another drink and two shots later, Calvin asked me to go downstairs and dance with him. I wasn't drunk, but I was definitely feeling a slight buzz, and as I agreed to go, I couldn't help but giggle at the fact that Ange's plan was working just like she had said.

I asked Oliver to come, but he said Claudette didn't dance.

When we found a spot amongst the rest of the people dancing, I confessed to Calvin that I wasn't much of a dancer.

"Put your arms around my neck and just move your hips," he said, and placed his hands on my waist.

I felt completely stupid but at the same time I was having fun. I wanted to just go wild and dance around like I did when it was just Oliver and I at home, but I didn't want people making fun of me.

Calvin was cracking jokes and making fun of what other people were wearing the whole time, and my sides were beginning to hurt because I was laughing so hard. When the song changed, he pulled me close and wrapped his arms tightly around me. He rested his forehead against mine and opened his mouth.

"Katie, I know we don't know each other very well, but I just wanted to tell you that I-"

I never got to hear what he had to say, for Oliver tapped him on the shoulder and asked to cut in.

"Sure, he's all yours!" I said playfully, and started to back away, but Oliver grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him.

"You're silly," he said, and placed his hands on my hips. "I couldn't stand watching you anymore. Claudette thinks dancing is for losers, and maybe she's right, but I need to let loose." He dipped me back and pretended to let go. I grabbed onto the front of his shirt and he laughed, pulling me back up.

He let go and started jumping around wildly, unafraid to dance as if it were just the two of us goofing around in the kitchen. I followed his lead, spinning around on my toes and danced around him as he began singing along with the music loudly. We had attracted quite an audience, and when I noticed, I excused myself to the ladies room.

I hurried into a stall. The drinks I'd had went right through me. As I sat doing my thing, two girls came in talking.

"Did you see Oliver Wood out there? Oh Merlin, is he gorgeous or what?" said Girl Number One.

"Yeah, but who was that girl he was with? They're kind of acting like a couple, don't you think?" asked Girl Number Two.

"That's just Katie Bell. She's the new chaser for Puddlemere. Don't you read the newspaper?"

"No."

"Well, she lives with him. Personally, I think he's better off without her. I mean, seriously, only girls with deep voices who don't shave play quiddtich. They're all a bunch of women-loving whores."

I was fuming. I stood up and the toilet flushed automatically. I opened the stall door and saw the two girls were standing in front of the mirror putting on makeup. I saw one of them eye me as I came up beside her to wash my hands. She nudged her friend in the ribs and they both stared with their mouths open.

"It's a nice crowd out there, eh?" I asked, making sure my voice was smooth and ladylike. "Lots of cute guys." I turned and dried my hands, then left the bathroom, leaving those girls in there to feel stupid.

As soon as the ladies room door closed beside me, someone pulled me to the side and pushed me up against the wall. Their lips were on mine before I had a chance to figure out what was going on, and then it hit me: Ange's plan was definitely on track. Hopefully Oliver was watching Calvin and I make out wherever he was at, and he was getting jealous.

Only when the person pulled back to take a breath, I realized it wasn't Calvin I was kissing at all.

* * *

**Oohh... who it be? **


	9. Chapter 9

"Farrenhurst!" I cried, pushing the huge man away from me. "What are you _doing_?"

"C'mon, baby. Call me Bryan." He took another step towards me, his arms outstretched.

"Get away from me! What is wrong with you, are you drunk?" Islapped his hands away and turned to go find someone else, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I bumped into his huge chest and scowled up at him.

He was quite an ugly man, probably in his late 20's to early 30's, with a head full of black hair... a _bowl cut_, in fact, and thick black eyebrows that almost touched at the bridge of his nose. He smiled down at me, his ugly yellow teeth jutting out at such awkward angles that it surprised me they were still in-tact with his gums. Although his arms were about as big around as my waist was, he was being gentle as he held me to him, yet I still couldn't seem to get away.

"Hey! What's going on?" someone cried, and I was relieved to see Oliver and Calvin walk up with worried expressions.

"I'm just trying to kiss my girl," Bryan said. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol.

"Your girl?" Calvin asked, incredulously. "Since when has she been _your_ girl?**"**

"That's exactly what I'd like to know," I said, pounding lightly on the Bryan's chest. He released me and stared at me, his mouth agape.

"Come now, Katie. I saw the way you were looking at me yesterday after practice in the locker rooms! You couldn't take your eyes off of me! I just want you to know that I feel the same way about you!"

"_What!" _I yelled. "When was I _ever-_" I stopped, thinking back to the day before, and realized what he was talking about.

I had been sitting on a bench at the far end of the room, putting my socks and shoes on and piling all of my dirty clothes and wet towels back into my practice bag, when I noticed Oliver come from the showers wearing nothing but a towel. I was practically in a trance as I watched him straighten out his locker, which is right next to Bryan's. Bryan had been standing at his own locker, and from where I was positioned to the side of the room, Oliver had been standing _behind_ him. I had been watching Oliver so closely that I hadn't even noticed Bryan smiling and waving at me until I was getting up to leave.

But I couldn't tell them that! I'd just die!

"Ah, see? Now you remember, don't ya!" Bryan said, grinning. "You were so into me, you were practically drooling! You even put your shoes on the wrong feet!"

I felt my face heating up, and I looked back and forth between the three guys, one of which looked as though he had just single-handedly won the Quidditch World Cup, and the other two as though Voldemort had just entered the club and started dancing.

"Is this true, Katie?" Calvin asked with a hint of hurt in his voice.

"Of course not!"

"Bullshit!" Bryan yelled.

"It's not bull! I was thinking about.. about..." _Think, Katie! Think! _"I was thinking about pumpkin pastries and sugarquills! I was meeting Angelina and our friend Alicia at Hogsmede yesterday after practice, and I hadn't been to the sweet shop in ages! I couldn't wait to get there!" I was surprised at how naturally the words seemed to come from my mouth, and as I spoke, I realized I actually _was_ drooling at just the thought of sweets. "I bought all kinds of chocolate frogs and licorice and sours!"

I looked at each one of them to see their reactions. Oliver shrugged, finding no fault with what I had said.

"You believe her?" Bryan asked, swinging his arm in my direction so fast that he almost socked me in the eye.

"She may be skinny, but the kid can eat. I've never seen her eyes light up the way they do when someone mentions food."

_If only you knew,_ I thought, smiling to myself.

"You're a weird ass girl!" Bryan yelled, and disappeared in the throng of dancers.

Calvin was scratching his head and looking at me with an eyebrow raised. Finally, he smiled at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I noticed with pleasure the way Oliver's eyes seemed to darken at the interaction.

"Perhaps you _are_ a weird ass girl," Calvin said, leading me back to the dance floor. "But that's what I like about you."

We danced and danced, and for the first time all night I finally just let go and did what I wanted, without caring about what people were saying or whether or not they were looking at me. I even spotted those two girls who were gossiping in the bathroom and waved to them.

Calvin turned out to be great company, but that was all. My feelings didn't go beyond friendship for him, and every time I caught him looking at me the way I always looked at Oliver, something pulled at my heartstrings. I forced myself to push the guilt aside, at least for the night, at have fun. And besides, didn't Oliver used to say at Hogwarts that having a boyfriend or girlfriend on the same quidditch team proved to be distracting to the players? Maybe if I ran that by Calvin, he'd understand. However Oliver _was_ currently sleeping with Claudette. I guess he'd proven himself wrong.

As the night grew on, the crowd grew thinner and thinner. Calvin and I decided to call it quits when we were no longer able to blend in with the small group of people who were left dancing, and escaped from the club before having to sign a single autograph.

We laughed and joked all the way to my flat door. I dug around in my purse for the key while Calvin stood awkwardly to the side.

"So I guess I'll be seeing you then," he said, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet with his hands behind his back.

"Yep," I said, smiling brightly at him. He gave a little wave and turned to leave, and I found a key and tried to stick it in the keyhole of the door. It didn't fit, and I cursed, shaking the handle loudly for being so stupid. Instead of searching for the right key, I pulled out my wand.

"Katie?"

I turned back to find Calvin slowly making his way back. He pulled at the collar of his shirt and smiled nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Slap me if I'm being too brashbut could I possibly maybe sorta get a goodnight kiss?"

_What the hell_, I thought, and pulled him to me by the front of his shirt. Our lips met and his hands came up to cup my cheeks. He was gentle and his mouth tasted of mint. I wondered if it had been that way all along, or had he snuck around the corner while I was fumbling with the doorknob to check his breath.

Right in the middle of the best kiss Calvin would ever get in his life, the apartment door opened.

"Katie? Are you..." Oliver started. Calvin and I broke apart, and I wiped my mouth with my hands before turning to Oliver and smiling. "Sorry I interrupted," he said and went back into the flat, leaving the door wide open.

"Well!" Calvin was grinning like the Cheshire cat as he started to back away. "I'll see you later then! Have a wonderful night!"

"You too, Calvin. Goodnight."

I entered the apartment and closed the door.

"So are you with _him_ now?" Oliver asked. He was standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a glass of water in his hands.

"No, of course not."

"Then what was that?"

"He asked for a goodnight kiss." I threw my purse onto the coffee table and collapsed in a chair.

"It looked like a goodnight make-out session to me. He's 22, you know."

I _hadn't_ known. "So?"

"You're only 18. That's four years' difference."

"So? How old is Claudette?"

He seemed reluctant to answer. "She's 24."

"And you're only 20. That's four years' difference. Ever hear of 'Practice what you preach'?"

"Look, Katie. All I'm saying is that I don't think you should be dating him."

"Oliver, please don't worry. I promise you that I have no feelings for him other than friendly ones."

"So you're just leading the poor fellow on?"

"Poor fellow! You just told me not to date him!"

"It's not fun to have feelings for someone who doesn't feel the same about you. Believe me, I know. You'll break his heart."

I looked up at Oliver. Who in the world had he ever loved that didn't love him back? Were they crazy? I snorted. "You don't have to tell _me_ about it."

We locked eyes for a long moment, and for a minute there I thought maybe I'd have the courage to confess how I felt to him. But then I heard the familiar tinkle of Jake relieving himself somewhere down the hall and broke eye contact and lost the nerve.

* * *

The next morning, Oliver came barging into my room much too early for my liking.

"Katie? Katie!"

I grumbled and sat up, rubbing the sleep away from my eyes. "What is it?"

He threw something down onto my bed, and I picked it up. It was a magazine.

I screamed.

Printed in large, bold letters on the cover read, "**KATIE BELL: THE WILD CHILD WITHIN."** Below the headline were three pictures of me; the first one of Oliver dipping me back as we were dancing, the second of Calvin and I doing shots at the bar, and the third of myself pinned to the wall and making out with Bryan.

"What the hell is this!" I yelled. "I never even noticed any photographers there last night!"

"Katherine Bell," Oliver said, smirking. "Meet _The Quibbler._"

* * *

**It kinda breaks my heart writing who was kissing her because you guys are all guessing and I want to make you happy and say, "YES IT'S OLIVER!" but I can't! And then I read "could it be someone from her past?" I got to thinkin'... that would be cool! But I decided just to stick with my plan. Boo. Haha, it can't be Oliver though. I don't want them to get together just yet, because I want to end my story right after they do. I hope that doesn't make you sad, but I don't really like reading/writing about after they're a couple and stuff. I just like what leads up to it. Besides, the summary I wrote says "will she be able to handle the responsibilities of being on a pro quidditch team" or something silly like that, and she hasn't really _done_ anything when it comes to quidditch yet, so, yeah. **

**Hmmm why is Katie living with Oliver? Good question. I'm going to explain that in a future chapter (hopefully) when I plan on having her go back home. But I guess telling you now isn't spoiling anything because it's not a big deal; Katie graduated from Hogwarts, didn't want to live at home. Obviously couldn't live all by herself because, I mean... look what happened in the very first chapter. Without Oliver, she doesn't eat right. Ange and Alicia both have their men they live with... and since Oliver is a good friend and all, why not share an apartment with him? Besides, I think it's good that she's there to sort of "house-sit" while he's away playing games. Besides, if he secretly loves her, why wouldn't he want her to live with him? But I am definitely going to explain what happened in the story... maybe not in the next chapter, or the one after that, but it will come! Damn you smarties for thinking beyond! But I love you all!**

**And about me not getting a lot of reviews... well, first off... I definitely got a lot for the last two chapters haha... but yeah, it's fine with me. I mentioned I think in the first chapter that I don't mind if you don't want to review. Don't get me wrong, I love reading them, they make me extremely happy, especially when you guys are happy with what I'm doing. I really appreciate the time you take to tell me what you think. Then there are people who like review responses, and I guess that's sort of what this is, but I'm too retarded to go through and thank every single person for their review, plus I'd rather spend my time working on the actual chapter. Which is funny because here are these paragraphs long author's notes that I'm definitely writing BEFORE I'm even starting on what you just read up there. And then... sometimes you get some arrogant reviewer who thinks they're god's gift to the world (or fanfiction's gift to the world) who leaves you reviews telling you to "watch your language." PUHHH LEASE! That's what I have a mom for! If you're not gonna tell me something dealing with the actual STORY and not about me saying FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK THE FUCK WORD FUCK FUCK in my author's notes, then don't waste your time! Although I guess you should feel pretty proud right about now, you're getting an honorable mention. :D**

**And I feel sorry for those of you who are just getting out of school/finishing exams. My last day of school was April 30th and I went back May 1st for an exam and May 5th for 2 exams, and it was over. I am going a little bit crazy because I've never had this much time to sit around on my ass between school years. **

**Okay, that's enough. GO DOWNLOAD CASHBACK OFF OF ITUNES BECAUSE SEAN BIGGERSTAFF LOOKS DAMN SEXY IN IT.**


	10. Chapter 10

"So apparently you've been having your way with the whole quidditch team, have you?" Alicia asked. I stepped aside and let her and Angelina inside the apartment.

"Shove it," I replied.

"Well what's the story, then?" Ange asked, sitting on the floor beside the coffee table. Alicia sat beside her, setting the large baby carrier that held a sleeping Daphne on the couch behind her. I ran to the kitchen to get us drinks and snacks, and came back, setting everything on the table in front of them.

I explained to them just what had happened at The Phoenix a few nights earlier, and told them about how all of the tabloids were wrong in saying I was a party girl interested in shagging every guy on Puddlemere.

"How come you never got bad press, Ange?" I asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it into my mouth.

"Because I never went out with the rest of the team. If you go _anywhere_ with them ,you're bound to get into trouble. I went to practice, I played games, and I picked up my check at the end of the month. Those were the only times I saw any of them, besides Oliver."

I nodded in understanding.

"So did plan 'Make Oliver Jealous' work or not?" Alicia asked.

"Well, he did look irritated when Calvin put his arm around me at the club. And when I came home that night, Oliver opened the door while Calvin and I were kissing and-"

"_What_?" both of my friend yelled at the same time. "You _actually_ kissed him?"

"You told me to, Ange!"

"Yes, but I didn't think you would! I was just joking!"

"He asked for a goodnight kiss! I couldn't be mean and say no! And then Oliver opened the door and caught us and when Calvin left, Oliver seemed kind of... jealous I suppose. But the last few days he's just been acting like his normal self, and he's _still_ going out with Claudette and bringing her home some nights. In fact, he left early this morning to spend the day with her. I think I'm just going to give up." I sighed and banged my head on the table.

"Don't give up, Kat," Ange said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You two belong together, I just know it."

"Yeah, you do. Hey! What's that?" Alicia pointed to a large cardboard box sitting next to the television.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to show you guys this..." I hoisted the heavy box up and dropped it onto the coffee table. "I was looking for one of my favorite t-shirts this morning. It's black and-"

"Has a white pattern going down the side?" Alicia asked, biting her nails.

"Yeah! Do you know where it's at?"

"I've got it. Remember, you let me borrow it!"

"Alicia! That was last year! How did- I was at Hogwarts! What... how did you... It's been gone _that_ long?"

She smiled brightly at me, and I scoweld.

"Anyway, as I was saying. I thought maybe it had gotten mixed in with Oliver's clothes after we did the laundry, so I was digging around in his closet, and I came across his box full of pictures from Hogwarts."

I pulled the lid off the box, revealing hundreds of photos. A few of the people in the ones at the top of the pile squinted as the light hit their eyes, for they had been boxed up for a long time. I grabbed one that I had set to the side to show Ange and Alicia.

"I haven't been through the whole box yet, but this was one I found this morning. It's hilarious!"

I held the picture up so we could all see it. It was of the three of us.

"Oh, I remember that! That was right before Christmas break during our seventh year! Remember that Ange?" Alicia said, nudging the other girl. Ange didn't respond, but kept looking at the picture.

Angelina was in the middle, smiling happily at the camera as snow fell down around us. I was standing to the right, wrapped up in numerous other scarves I had stolen from the twins, and Alicia was either making faces at the camera, or trying to catch a snowflake on her tongue. She wasn't wearing her scarf or her cloak.

"I had been down in the dungeons doing a detention for Snape. He had me re-labeling all the jars with stuff in them, and I had heard you lot outside having fun, so I snuck out" she explained.

She smiled devilishly at me, and then glanced down just in time to watch a snowball smash into the side of her face in the picture. She gasped, and Angelina burst out with laughter.

"I knew that was coming!" Ange said, clutching her ever-growing stomach. "Oliver had thrown that! I had seen him to the side, and he was aiming for Kat, I just know it, but he missed! Thank Merlin he was a keeper and not a chaser!"

We laughed, spending the next hour going through the box.

"Oh, look here, Katie!" Alicia tossed a picture to me. I looked down at it and smiled.

It was from the same snowy day as the first picture we had looked at. Fred and George had tackled me and removed my shoes and socks in compensation for me having their scarves. I had made a big fuss about my feet touching the freezing cold ground, and Oliver had hoisted me up over his shoulder. In the picture, I was squirming to get away as he patted my behind with one hand and gripped my leg with the other.

"Wow, there sure are a lot of pictures of you, Kaite!" Ange said, shifting through a handful of photos she was holding.

"Yeah, there are," Alicia agreed. I shrugged.

Angelina reached into the box to grab more pictures, but found a piece of parchment all folded up.

"What's that?" I asked. I held in my hand a picture from Oliver's first year on the quidditch team. He was missing a front tooth; probably from a collision with a bludger.

"I don't know," she said, and opened it. Alicia leaned over her shoulder to see what it was, and her eyes grew wide.

"What? What is it? Let me see!" I said, reaching my hand out to grab the paper.

"It's... It's a... It's just a silly quidditch play!" Ange said, pulling the parchment out of my reach. At that moment, the front door opened, and Oliver came in. He smiled when he saw us, and leaned his elbows against the back of the couch.

"What have you got there?" he asked. He looked at the box, then at the pictures scattered around the living room, and then to the paper in Ange's hands. He stopped smiling.

"Who was digging through my closet? Katie! Were you digging through my closet?" His voice was growing louder and louder, and his eyebrows were knitting together in anger.

"I was looking for something, I thought maybe it was in your closet, and I found these pictures. We were just looking at them! I don't see what's the big deal!"

"You shouldn't be going through my things!" He came around to the coffee table and started throwing everything back into the box. He even had the nerve to rip the pictures I was looking at right out of my hands. He closed the box back up with the lid and lifted it up with one arm. "Ange, give me that right now." He held his hand out to take the paper from her. She slowly reached her hand towards him and he quickly snatched the paper and slid it into his pocket. "Katie Bell! If I ever catch you going through _my_ private things... I... what were you thinking?"

He stomped off down the hall and I heard him throwing stuff around in his room. I glanced nervously at Angelina and Alicia. His bedroom door slammed, causing little Daphne to start crying, and he stomped back into the living room.

He ran a shaking hand through his hair before saying, "So what, Katie? What do you think, hmm? Do you have anything smart to say about that?"

I was on the verge of tears; I didn't know what he was talking about! Alicia cradled her daughter in her arms and stood. She said goodbye with a quick nod of her head and left without another word.

"Well, Katie? I'm waiting!" The tone in Oliver's voice scared me so much. Finally, Angelina stood up and pointed a finger at him.

"Don't you dare talk to her that way! She doesn't know, Oliver! Okay! She doesn't know! She didn't see it, only Alicia and I."

"Didn't see what? Is this about that paper? What was on it?" I asked. My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Don't worry about it, Kat. Like I said, it was just a stupid, _stupid_ quidditch play. Look, I'm going home. If you need me, just pop on over, I'll be there the rest of the day." She turned back to Oliver. "And you..." She made a rather rude gesture with her hand and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I sat where I was , looking down at my hands. Warm tears were making their way down my cheeks. I didn't even know what the hell I was crying about! I looked back up at Oliver. He was staring at me, his dark brown eyes unreadable.

"What did I do?" I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth, I started bawling. Maybe I was being a little bit hysterical, but I've _never_ been yelled at like that, and I've _never_ been yelled at by Oliver. Plus, I was embarrassed because my friends had been there to witness it. I was a mess.

I stood up and hurried quickly by Oliver and went into my room in search of my shoes. I found them and slipped them on.

"Katie, I'm-"

"Get away from me!"

I shoved past Oliver and left the flat. I didn't know where I was going, but I wanted to get as far away from him as quickly as possible.

Before I knew it, I was in the park. It was getting late, and the sun was going down, but there were still lots of men and women and their children out playing. I sat on the same bench Alicia and I had shared the day after Oliver had come home so many weeks ago. I watched two children, a little boy and a little girl, as they tried to catch fireflies in a glass jar.

What had been Oliver's problem? What was on that paper? Surely it wasn't _really_ a quidditch play, because that wouldn't have caused so much trouble, would it?

Could it have been plans to kill me? I gasped, eliciting stares from people around me. Perhaps Oliver was secretly a Death Eater, and for some strange reason, Voldemort want little ol' me dead! But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it couldn't be true. Besides, Ange and Alicia wouldn't have left me alone with Oliver if he was planning on taking me out. Unless they were in on it too...

_No!_ I argued with myself. _You know the girls better than that! You know _Oliver_ better than that! He's your best friend! It was just something silly he didn't want anyone to see, so he got a little defensive._

But why was it okay that Ange and Alicia could see it and not me? I groaned and put my head in my hands. This whole ordeal had lasted no more than five minutes, but it seemed as though it was ruining my life! It had brought out a side in Oliver I had never seen before, and it was directed towards me!

After calming myself down, I decided to head back home. I didn't realize I was shaking until I watched my hand reach for the doorknob to our flat. Once I saw that, I couldn't keep myself under control. My hands were sweaty and my knees were weak.

The entire apartment was dark. Oliver must have gone to bed, and I silently thanked whoever was out there for not making me have to confront him. I quietly walked to my room and shut the door behind me. I slipped off my shoes, and just as I got my shirt over my head, there was a rustling sound coming from my bed and a light flickered on.

"Katie?"

I stumbled backwards, falling into my closet door with a loud thud, and tried to untangle myself from the t-shirt I had wrapped around my arms and head. I struggled for a moment, and finally got the damn thing off. I held it up to cover my bra and adjusted my eyes to the light. Oliver was lying in my bed. His eyes were red and puffy, as though he had been crying, and the large box of pictures was sitting beside my night stand.

I found myself backing into the corner farthest from the bed, and Oliver frowned.

"Dammit, Katie, please don't be scared of me." He ran his hands over his face and sighed.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked quietly.

"I was waiting for you to get home. I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, Katie. Especially not to you. You don't deserve it. _God_, you've been crying. I don't think I can live with myself knowing I made you cry."

"You've been crying, too," I said, nodding my head at him.

I was happy to see one side of his mouth quirk up in a smile. "No I haven't. I... I've been chopping onions."

I snorted and sat on the edge of the bed beside him. I kicked the box of pictures. "Why'd you bring those in here?" I asked.

"I thought maybe we could look at them. And," he reached down under the covers and pulled a familiar looking folded piece of parchment out from under them. "I have this. You can see it if you want."

I stared at that paper for a long while, trying to decide whether I wanted to see what was on it or not. I decided on the latter.

"No. If it's so important that you didn't want me to see it in the first place, then I don't want to see it now." I pushed his hand away.

"Listen, Katie! I _want_ you to see it! I _want_ you to read it!" He unfolded it and held it in my line of sight. I was surprised to see it was a letter of some sort, and in his handwriting. I caught the words, "always have" before I pushed it away a second time.

"I don't want to see it."

He didn't bother to argue with me, and took a deep breath as he put it back into his pocket. I made him promise not to peek as I quickly changed into my pyjamas, and then I crawled under the covers beside him.

"So will you accept my apology?" he asked as he pulled the heavy box up into his lap.

"Of course."

"Good."

We spent the rest of the night looking through every picture in that whole box.

* * *

**So here's the million dollar question: What was in the letter?**

**Sorry, you won't get a million dollars if you get it right, because I'm pretty sure all of you know what it was. And if you don't then... I'm not telling. It'll come up again. Besides, I think the "always have" gives it away like whoa dude.**

**3 new pictures, my favorites as of yet!**

**Oh yeah, and Jen, stop flooding my reviews with your blabbermouth. There's something called a PHONE!**

**And QueenieKai - no, I'm not on the forums at Sean Biggerstaff's website. I remember back when I was like... 14 or 15, I was so obsessed with him, I'd go to his site every day, but I never joined the forums. And then I forgot about him, and when I started this story, I went back to his site and read up all this stuff about him, and then I went on iTunes and was like HOLY CRAP ITS CASHBACK. Thanks for the link to the movie... hopefully all you OTHER READERS will go see it and watch it... unfortunately for me, I already paid the $1.99 to download the thing, plus I'm a retard who doesn't want to get rid of my dial-up.. I'm sure it'd take me forever to loadit upanyway, lol.**

**Whoa, was that my first ever review response? Holy crap!**


	11. Chapter 11

A week before my first big match, Oliver and I decided to give our parents a visit back home in Middlesbrough. We called to let them know we were coming, and when we arrived, Oliver's parents were over at my house, and my dad was grilling on the barbeque.

We greeted everyone and excused ourselves to quickly unpack. Oliver followed me back inside the house and upstairs to my room where I threw my bag down in a corner and flopped back on my old bed.

"Looks exactly the same as it did the last time I was here," Oliver commented. He glanced around at the dark green walls covered in posters and banners with everything from famous quidditch players to muggle bands and movie stars on them.

"Maybe because the last time you were here was also the last time I was here packing to move in with you?" I threw a pillow at him, but he caught it easily and threw it back.

"Don't be a smart ass. I figured maybe your little brother would have come in here and destroyed everything."

I smiled as I thought about nine year old Dylan. He was outside playing on the swing set my dad had built for _me_ on my seventh birthday when Oliver and I had arrived at the house. He jumped down and ran over to me, wrapping my waist in a big hug.

"Did you bring me anything, Katie?" he had asked, looking up at me with his big blue eyes.

I pulled from inside my travel bag a large sack from Fred and George's shop. Dylan's eyes grew wide; he knew of and was quite fond of the twins and their inventions.

"He won't get hurt with any of that, will he?" my mom asked. She, also, knew the twins.

As I lay on my bed thinking, I realized that Oliver's sister, Wendy, had not been outside with the others. Wendy was a fifth year at Hogwarts, and quite popular at that. Even when I had been attending, she had never liked me.

"She's probably at home being 'too cool' to come to a barbeque with old people," Oliver explained after I asked him about her.

We left my house and walked next door to Oliver's parents house. Oliver turned the handle of the large oak front door and called out, "Wendy?"

We both stepped inside the quiet parlor. As the front door closed with a click, we heard from somewhere upstairs, "Oliver?"

"Wendy?"

"Oliver?"

"Wendy?"

I kicked Oliver's shin and smiled. He snickered and I followed him upstairs. At the top of the landing stood Wendy. She smiled at her older brother, but as her eyes sought me out, she frowned and started tapping her foot.

"Katie," she said with a nod of acknowledgment.

"Hello, Wendy." I drummed my fingers along the railing of the stairs as I waited for the siblings to finish talking to one another.

"So why aren't you out there with mum and dad?" Oliver asked. He opened a door to his left, his old bedroom, and threw his bag inside before closing the door back.

"I have some friends over from school who are spending the week with me. We didn't want to go outside." Wendy blew some of her knotty brown hair away from her face.

"Who are you talking to, Wen?" came a voice from Wendy's opened bedroom door at the end of the hall. "Your _brother_?"

"Yes," Wendy replied. "Oliver's here."

"Yeah _right_," came the response from inside the room. We heard shuffling, as though people were moving about and standing up, and three heads poked out from inside the room.

"Oh my goodness!" one of the girls squealed. She was extremely pretty, with long, bright red hair, and big, bright blue eyes. She squeezed between the other two girls that were standing in the doorway and sauntered over to us.

"Oliver, this is Elaine," Wendy said, introducing the two. Elaine stuck her hand out to shake Oliver's, and as their fingers touched, the girl pulled Oliver into a hug that squeezed all the air out of his lungs.

Elaine smiled and looked up at Oliver. "Me and the girls... we didn't believe Wendy when she said you two were related. We've all just transferred over to Hogwarts within the last year and we thought it was some lame story she told us to get us to like her, but now I know it's true! My goodness, I can't believe I'm holding _the_ Oliver Wood in my arms! Do you know how much I absolutely love you? I would _kill_ to have your children!"

Elaine stood on the tips of her toes and leaned forward, her lips puckered, and tried to give Oliver a kiss. He leaned back and broke free from her grasp, grabbing me in the process.

"Elaine! Have you met Katie yet? This is Katie Bell," Oliver said. He stood behind me and pushed me toward the girl, almost like an offering to keep her away.

"Oh, Merlin! Katie Bell! Did you know you're practically the prettiest female quidditch player of all time? I think you're _much_ prettier than Brenda Long, that seeker for the Appleby Arrows. If I were a guy – or a girl who likes girls – I'd totally have a crush on you!" She grabbed my hand and shook it roughly. "Oh wow! Where did you get your dress! It's so cute, I love it!"

I scratched the back of my head nervously. "Uhh, thanks," I said and smiled.

"Well girls," Oliver said, tugging on the back of my dress. "We're both going back next door, so I guess if you're going to stay in here-"

"Oh, of course not!" Elaine said. "We'll all go back outside with you!"

Wendy looked as though she were about to say something, but instead followed her friends with a grim expression on her face.

When we returned to my backyard, we all seated ourselves around the picnic table. Oliver was the first to slide in, and as I stepped over the bench to sit beside him, Wendy bumped me out of the way and took the place herself. Oliver shrugged at me, and I sat opposite him between Wendy and Elaine's other friends. One was named Tiffany, and one Jane. My mum and Mrs. Wood put plates in front of each of us, just as if we were still small children, and finally our parents sat down to eat with us. Dylan sat by himself out by the swing set.

"I'm so grateful you took our precious Katie in, Oliver," my mom said. "I know she wanted to get away from us old folks after she left Hogwarts, but I really didn't want her living by herself. And I hope what I've been sending you every month was enough to cover at least half of your rent."

"It's no problem, Mrs. Bell," Oliver replied through a mouthful of food. I kicked his shin under the table and he glared at me.

"Well, Katie will be able to pay for her own place, now, won't she? I mean, she'll be making millions playing for Puddlemere." Everyone turned to look at Wendy as she spoke. "I bet she'd be able to find some nice apartment over in... in France or something, and I'm sure she'd be able to find a flatmate. I'd even help her look for a place."

"Nonsense, Wen," Oliver said. "Katie's staying with me, aren't you, Kates?" He looked at me expectantly.

"Um, well, she does have a point..." I started. Honestly, the thought of moving out had never crossed my mind, and now that it had, I was almost scared to think about it.

"I enjoy the company," Oliver said, seriously. "Of course, if you're ready to move out, then..."

"No! I mean, no. If you like the company." I blushed as I noticed all eyes were on us. Wendy was shooting daggers at me with her eyes, and when I felt someone stomp down on my toes under the table, there was no doubt in my mind that it was her.

Elaine broke the silence by asking Oliver some silly question about how much he worked out each week. I was too busy thinking about things to pay attention.

Why wouldn't Oliver want me to move out? The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He liked his privacy, especially when he brought home girls, and with me gone, he'd have his freedom to do as he wished without having to worry about me in the next room. Hell, he'd even be able to invite people over to spend the night because he'd have a spare bedroom! He wouldn't have to worry about making sure I was eating right or falling off the balcony trying to reach my fly-away hat while he wasn't there. Sure he said he liked my company, but with Claudette over five days out of the week and quidditch practice the other two, he didn't really need me around.

I glanced up at him across the table and he was looking at me expectantly. I looked around at everyone else, and realized they were all looking at me, too.

"What?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Oliver snickered.

"I've just asked you the same question about five times, Katie," he said.

"Oh." I blushed again. I was going to have to do something about that.

"Just forget it, it wasn't important anyway. At least not as important as whatever it was you were thinking about."

Everyone else went back to chatting with each other, but Oliver stayed quiet. He studied me for a long while, and then I felt his foot nudge mine. He hooked his tennis shoe around the back of my ankle and lifted my foot up. He grabbed it and placed my heel on his knee under the table, letting my flip-flop drop to the ground. I was about to ask him what he was doing, but then I felt him start to massage and I almost moaned aloud.

If you've ever experienced a foot massage, especially one by someone who has nice, strong hands, then you know it's probably the best feeling in the world. Angelina and Alicia swear up and down that foot massages have nothing on sex, but I haven't gotten that far, so I'll stick to what I know.

I slouched down in my seat and rested my chin in my hands. I let my eyes flutter closed and enjoyed the feeling of Oliver's thumb pressing in to the sole of my foot. I shuddered as he touched a sensitive spot.

"What is wrong with her?"

"She looks like she's just had really good sex."

Oliver burst out laughing and dropped my foot. I opened my eyes. The sky was noticeably darker, and the "grown-ups" had already left the table and were across the yard talking by our fish pond. I wondered just how long I had been sitting there in complete bliss.

"You're such a freak," Wendy said and stood up. She turned in the direction of her house.

"Hey, Wendy! I have a great idea!" Elaine shouted to the retreating girl's back. Wendy stopped and turned around. "Why don't we ask your mom and Katie's mom if Katie can stay the night over at your house! Don't you think it would be fun! She could tell us all about quidditch stars and... and Oliver!" Elaine leaned over and nudged him in the ribs.

"_I_ know all about Oliver," Wendy said, sounding hurt.

"Yes, but you're just his sister. Older brothers don't tell anything to their little sisters! But Katie _lives_ with him. She's his best friend! I bet she knows _all _the dirt on him! C'mon, what do you say!"

Wendy seemed to plead to her friend with her eyes, but finally gave up. "Sure, why not. But I doubt Katie would want to spend the night with us _little girls_."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, we're only two and three years younger!" Elaine reached across the table and grabbed my hands in hers. "Katie, wouldn't you love to have a girl's night with the rest of us! Oh please oh please oh please! It would totally make my summer vacation!"

Tiffany and Jane were eagerly nodding their heads up at me.

I sighed. "All right?"

* * *

**Sorry for the wait! So the next chapter will be their little sleepover... which I might get done tomorrow night... but we'll see.**

**To QueenieKai, and anyone else, I guess, I made an AIM name and a GoogleTalk name you guys can IM at if you ever feel like meeting me or whatever. LOOK IN MY PROFILE FOR MORE DETAILS. Haha, that sounds like a commercial.**

**Gwenhyfer** **- it's funny you say that about Oliver and Katie kinda blowing things out of proportion when they fight. Now that you've brought it up, I definitely see it. But to be honest, I just write it the way _I_ would act in those situations, and I suppose I _do_ tend to overreact a LOT. So in a way I guess I don't really realize I'm doing that, and I'll try to keep my eye out for it if Katie and Oliver get into another fight. Thanks for your input!**

**And also... I wrote a little one-shot called "Thanks for the Film" if any of you haven't read it yet. It's a stupid little story about what happened on the snowy day from the pictures in chapter 10.**

**And finally... my excuses for not updating as quickly as usual! (Beside the writer's block that I definitely had..) You guys can stop reading now if you're bored out of your mind, lol.**

**So last Tuesday I went to the Warped Tour here in Raleigh. It was pretty awesome. I'm not much of a hardcore/emo/whatever else kind of music there is at Warped Tour fan, and the people who go there dressed in all black kind of scare me! (No offense if you guys dress like that! Just know that if you ever want to steal candy from me you'll definitely be able to!) But I do LOVE PARAMORE and He Is Legend (although HiL don't begin the tour until later this month... stupidheads) and I got to see the beautiful lead singer of The Academy Is up close and personal, so it was all good.**

**Wednesday I got a new kitten. My friend found him on the side of the road and couldn't keep him, so now he's mine. It's almost like having a newborn baby in the house because all of my other cats and my dog hate him, so I have to stay up constantly to watch him and make sure no one else kills him while I'm asleep. And then there's the whole fact that he's hungry all the time... ugh!**

**Guess what I named him. Oh yes. Guess. Go on. **

**You're going to think I'm a loser, but the name fits him PER FECT LY.**

**Oliver.**

**Actually, to be totally honest, it's Oliver Wood, however the Wood is silent, so people won't think I'm a loser when I call his name. But you don't know that it's silent when I'm typing, so I could get on here and say, "Yo guys, I slept with Oliver Wood last night," or "Oliver Wood totally licked my face today" or "Oliver Wood loves me."**

**I swear I'm the most immature, loserish 18 year old girl you will ever meet.**

**3 new pictures.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure you want to do this?" my mum asked me as she washed the dirty dishes in the sink.

"I suppose so. They asked me to, and I can't really think of a polite reason not to," I replied. I hopped up onto the counter top and watched her as she tried to scrub off a stubborn spot from a porcelain pot. With a flick of my wand, the dishes began to wash themselves.

My mother nearly jumped as the sponge leapt from her hand and began vigorously rubbing at the spot all by itself. "I'll never get used to that," she muttered.

There was a knock at the back door. It opened, and Oliver came inside the house, yawning.

"I've been sent to fetch thee, fair maiden. Art thou packed and ready for this great voyage?" he asked, bowing down.

"Oh, dear knight, won't you please help me from my throne?" I extended my hand and he held it as I slid off of the counter.

"_Accio_ bag!" The travel bag I had brought from the flat that I hadn't unpacked yet came flying around the corner. Oliver caught it easily and took my arm in his.

"Goodnight, Queen Claire," he said to my mum as he opened the back door. "Please give King Robert a kiss for me, won't you?"

Mum laughed. "Of course, Oliver. And Katie, behave yourself." She shot me a look, warning me that I should be on my best behavior or else, and I frowned at her before I was pulled outside.

"Aren't you excited," Oliver said, ruffling my hair.

"_Thrilled._"

"It won't be that bad. If the girls get too... girly, just yell and I'll come rescue you. Besides, maybe you and Wendy could learn to love each other and get over whatever it is you currently can't get over."

"Pfft. Besides, I don't have a problem with Wendy, _she_ has a problem with _me._"

We entered Oliver's house through the back door. He led me through the darkened kitchen and to the living room, where his parents were playing wizard's chess.

Once upstairs and in his room, we collapsed on his bed. In the next room, I could hear the girls laughing and talking. Oliver kicked his shoes off, and the giggling stopped.

"Katie Bell, there you are!" I looked up and Elaine and Jane were standing in the doorway, both wearing pink gowns that went to their ankles.

"Oh, hey," I said.

"Go get your pj's on right now, girly, and get your butt in Wendy's room!"

"My pj's? Now? But it's still light outside!" I complained, and threw my arm in the direction of Oliver's window, where the late evening sun was still peeking through his blinds.

"It's not a real slumber party until we're all in our bedclothes," Jane said, speaking up. I had only heard the girl say maybe two words since I had first met her.

"Oh, alright," I said, sighing in defeat. I pushed myself up and grabbed my bag. Oliver smiled at me sympathetically and waved before I left his room and headed for the bathroom to change.

When I came back out and stood in the doorway of Wendy's room, all four girls looked up at me, shocked.

"_Those_ are your pajamas?" Wendy asked, sneering.

"Uh, yeah?" I looked down, trying to figure out what was wrong with my tank top and little black shorts.

"Do you wear stuff like that around Oliver?" Tiffany asked, a smirk forming on her lips.

"Did I hear my name?" Oliver replied from behind me. He rested his chin on my shoulder as he gazed in at the girls, who I finally noticed were _all_ wearing long pink gowns. Had I not gotten the memo?

"No, no. Tiffany just said she didn't like _olives." _Elaine replied, smoothly. Oliver shrugged and turned back to go into his room. Elaine patted the spot on the floor beside her and I walked in, plopping myself down on a pillow.

"He was totally checking you out from behind," Tiffany said to me.

"Oh, gross, he was not!" Wendy grabbed a pillow and whacked her friend in the back of the head. Tiffany retaliated by grabbing another pillow and smacking Wendy in the face. Before long, everyone was engaged in a pillow fight, and I watched from my spot on the floor as they all giggled and screamed.

"Don't be a party pooper," Elaine said, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me to my feet. She picked the pillow I had been sitting on up off the floor and thrust it into my arms. They all started attacking me then, and I had no choice but to defend myself. I pulled the pillow back high over my head and brought it crashing down with all of my might on the person closest to me; Jane.

Everyone went silent as Jane collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

"Oh... crap!" I fell to my knees beside the girl and started checking her vital signs. Perhaps I shouldn't have used all my strength, but sometimes it's hard to remember that not everyone is a big, strong quidditch player. And besides, it was only a pillow! Who would have known!

"Thank Merlin," I muttered as Jane's eyes fluttered open. She raised a hand to the top of her head.

"Bloody hell," she murmured. She pushed herself up on an elbow and looked around.

"Oh my goodness!" Elaine cried. "Jane, _Katie Bell_ just knocked you out during a pillow fight!" I looked at the girl as though she were crazy, but felt relieved when I saw Jane smile as though she had just won something at the fair. "Just think about the stories you'll be able to tell your grandkids!" Elaine helped the girl to her feet.

_These girls are insane!_ I thought, watching them. I know they were excited because they were hanging out with someone on a professional quidditch team, but Merlin! It was only me! I wasn't any better than any of them, and I was hardly any older! Just because I played for Puddlemere didn't make it okay for me to almost kill someone during a pillow fight!

"Maybe we should settle down a little," Tiffany suggested, and we all returned to our previous positions in a circle on the floor. I stretched out on my stomach and listened to them gossip about their friends and foes from school, and I smiled, becoming nostalgic.

My ears perked up at a name I recognized.

"Colin Creevy?" I asked, repeating the name.

"Yes," Elaine said. "Do you know him?"

Boy did I ever! The kid had the hugest crush on me back when I was at Hogwarts! He used to send me flowers and chocolate before every Gryffindor match, and he was always following me around with that stupid camera!

"Yeah, I remember him," I said.

"Wendy's got a crush on him," Jane said, whispering loudly towards me.

"I do not!" Wendy cried, her face turning pink.

"Yes you do, you said you've had a crush on him ever since your first year! And you said you were always jealous because Colin was in love with some other girl. An older one!"

Realization dawned on me, and I looked at Wendy, surprised. She was blushing furiously and she wouldn't look at me.

"Is that why you've always hated me, then, Wendy?" I asked, curious. Tiffany's eyebrows rose in understanding.

"_You_ were the older girl!" she said, as though she had just solved some mysterious crime. I nodded, and Elaine ushered Tiffany and Jane out of the room, claiming they were going to go downstairs to the kitchen and get snacks.

"Actually, I've always hated you because of Oliver. Colin was just another reason to tack onto the list." There were tears running down Wendy's cheek and she hid her face behind her hair.

"What do you mean because of Oliver?" I sat up Indian style and hugged a pillow to my chest, listening.

"When I was little, Oliver and I did everything together. He was always the perfect big brother, and he used to show me around and help me play quidditch and show me secret forts he and his friends had built in the forest behind the house." She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. I was a little grossed out. "You were always the ugly girl next door, with braces and glasses and a really bad haircut. But then Oliver came home for summer vacation after his third year, and couldn't stop talking about you. I realized it had been your first year, and when I saw you I knew why. You didn't have braces or glasses anymore, and you had let your hair grow out and you were really pretty. And then Oliver and you were _always_ together, and he completely forgot about me. Even at Hogwarts, he never paid any attention to me. And then there's that whole Colin matter..."

"I'm sorry, Wendy, but I don't understand why you'd hate _me_ for all of that. You should have talked to Oliver about it, not sneer at me every time you passed me in the hallways."

"I know, but I guess I was just jealous. You had the attention of the only boys that mattered in my life and I guess I'm just acting silly." She smiled up at me through her tears, and said, "Besides, I really am over Colin now. I've got my eye on someone else." She leaned forward and glanced around to make sure no one was listening before she whispered, "Ron Weasley."

I tried to smile and decided I wasn't going to tell her about that time I caught him and Hermione Granger making out at the top of the Astronomy Tower last year. She'd probably _hate_ me for it.

The other three returned with all kinds of goodies, and I was finally able to relax now that all the hostility that had been in the air was gone.

For a long time we all talked and laughed and I realized I was truly enjoying myself. The girls, although a little start-struck at times, were very nice and we all had a lot in common.

Around midnight, Elaine dared me to go into Oliver's room and draw on his face. I'm not sure what prompted it, but I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity. I transfigured the end of my wand into a black wax stick, and we tiptoed to his bedroom door. It was cracked open slightly, and I pushed it open wide enough to stick my head in.

"Oliver?" I whispered, checking to see if he was awake.

I was greeted with a loud snort as he rolled over in his bed, and then began snoring. I turned to the others and shrugged, and pushed the door open all the way. I made my way slowly over to the bed and turned around and gave a thumbs up when I saw that he was, indeed, asleep. The girls crowded around the doorway, where they could see what was going on, and at the same time run away if things went horribly wrong and Oliver woke up.

I leaned over the bed, but Oliver was lying on his side with his back facing me, and I couldn't reach his face.

Slowly, I climbed onto the bed and straddled him around the middle. I froze as he turned onto his back, and the girls giggled at the compromising position I was in. I shot them a look that shut them up, and looked down to make sure they hadn't woken him up.

They hadn't.

With his face turned up towards me, I had my canvas laying before me and began tracing the black end of my wand all over his face, giving him black eyes, horns growing from his forehead, and dirty black lips. I was too caught up in drawing small snitches on his cheeks to realize he had opened his eyes. He growled and brought his arms up, catching me between them. The girls shrieked as he snatched my wand from my hand and used it to slam the door, and they all ran back to Wendy's room in a fit of giggles.

"Great, now they've woken up your parents," I said nervously.

"Nope. When Wendy's got someone over, they use a silencing charm on their bedroom, like this one." He flicked the wand and uttered a spell I had never heard before. "Nothing can disturb them, and they're probably still sleeping like babies."

With the door closed and all outside sources of light from the hall and Wendy's room gone, the room was pitch black, but I was still very aware of the close proximity of our faces. The laughter from the other room had been taken care of when Oliver used the silencing charm, and the only sounds I could hear were our breathing and the loud thumping of my heart.

I almost jumped when he brought his hand up to touch my cheek, letting his thumb run across my bottom lip. I giggled nervously, but was quickly shut up when he pulled my head down and kissed me.

Butterflies rose in my stomach and I almost forgot to breathe as we kissed.

Well, technically, _he_ was kissing _me_, but I wasn't doing much to fend him off.

He rolled onto his side, pulling me with him. I was trapped between him and the wall behind me that his bed was pushed up against. I must have momentarily gone into shock, because instead of pushing him away, I wove my fingers in his hair and decided to enjoy the moment.

Something like an electric shock went through me as his kisses moved along my jawline and then down to my neck. I inhaled sharply as his hands made their way under my shirt, and I heard him say, "Shhh," against my neck without ever letting his lips leave my skin. He ran one hand up and down the side that I wasn't laying on, while the other lightly tickled my stomach as he traced random shapes with his thumb. His kisses started trailing lower and lower, until his lips were right at the bottom of my shirt's low-cut neckline. That was when I pushed him away.

"I don't think we should be doing this right now," I said, groaning. I didn't want to stop, but I thought it was best.

"In a few minutes, then?" Oliver asked huskily.

Even thought he couldn't see it in the dark, I rolled my eyes at him. "You know what I mean."

Instead of answering me, he pulled me closer, resting his head on my chest. I was rigidly still until I heard his soft snores. I relaxed, and was left to my own thoughts until I fell asleep, too.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait, I just got lazy. And sorry for the fact that there aren't any pictures. I just got lazy. If I get bored between now and the next update, I'll see if I can draw some or something, but as of right now, I'm just focused on getting this chapter up.**

**So how bout my little kitty is growing into a big young man! (I didn't know they could grow so much in just 2 weeks!) Right now he's lying on my bed asleep, but one of his eyes is open. I keep making ugly faces at him, and I know he can see me because I guess he's dreaming, and when I do it, he starts doing the sleeping-running thing. I don't know if that makes sense, but it makes me laugh a lot.**

**Oh yeah, one of my friends from school got drafted to the NBA. Congrats, Cedric. I hope you remember me when you're famous, and I'll be calling you up when I need some extra moolah.**


	13. Chapter 13

I yawned and stretched as I woke up, holding a hand up to block the ray of sun that was coming through the blinds at just the right angle and hitting me in the eyes.

I squinted as I looked around; I didn't recognize the blue walls at first, and then everything came rushing back to me, like a tidal wave of memories. The sleep over, the pillow fight, the dare, the kissing.

I rolled over, and there was Oliver, face down in his pillow, muffled snores emanating throughout it. I climbed over him and ran to the door. I had to get out of his room, out of his house!

I hurried to Wendy's room and grabbed my bag and my tennis shoes. The girls were no where to be found, but that didn't bother me. I felt like what had happened the night before was written all over my face, and I didn't want anyone asking me why I hadn't come back from Oliver's room.

I hurried down the stairs and was almost to the front door when someone called my name. I turned around, and there was Wendy, with a plate full of something that smelled really good in her hands.

"Hey, we're having breakfast. Where are you going?" she asked. She took a few steps towards me as I tried to think of a good excuse to leave. "Hey," she said, squinting her eyes at me. "What's that all over your face?"

What! But... no! How could she know? Oh, fuck! It _was_ written all over my face!

I brought my hands up to my cheeks, deciding to play as though I didn't know what she were talking about. "What do you mean?" I asked.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to a decorative mirror that hung in the hallway. I gasped. My face and neck were covered in black smudges. I tried wiping it away, but it only smeared the mess around more.

"Mmm, something smells good!" came a voice from upstairs. After a moment, Oliver came around the corner, and I gasped again. "What?" he asked.

His face, too, was covered in the black stuff. It was that damned wax stick I had drawn on him with last night! I had completely forgotten about it, and then we'd kissed...

"_God_! Why does this _always_ happen!" I cried.

Wendy stood between us, looking back and forth, comparing and contrasting.

Oliver's lips were black.

I had black lip prints all over my face and neck.

Two plus two equals...?

I wanted to die.

Wendy let out a loud growl and pointed her finger in my face. "You!" she screamed. "Just when I thought you were okay, you go and do this!"

"_Okay_?" I asked, getting riled up. "I'm not okay! I'm better than just _okay_! I'm _amazing_!"

Oliver piped in with an, "I'll say," taking my meaning _completely_ out of context.

"You're not helping the situation here!"

"How could you do this?" Wendy asked. "After what I told you last night! I thought maybe you'd back off a little and let me have time with my brother! But I guess you just had to have him all to yourself, didn't you?"

Oliver scratched the back of his head. "Are we talking about incest? Because... that's not exactly right..."

Wendy reached up and slapped him on the back of the head. "No! You dolt!"

I noticed the other three girls were poking their heads out from the kitchen door. They were all smiling.

"I'm leaving," I said, and opened the front door.

"Good." Wendy slammed it behind me.

I trudged barefoot over to my house, ignoring Oliver's cries of, "Katie, please come back!"

My parents were sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and sipping their morning coffee. My mum looked at me worriedly as I came in the back door.

"I'm going home," I told them.

"But you are home, dear," my dad said, not once looking up from the business section.

"No, I mean back to the flat."

"Honey, what's that all over your face?" my mum asked.

"I fell asleep first and the girls drew all over me," I said, turning so that she couldn't distinguish the shape of the black spots and come to the conclusion that Oliver and I had been snogging each other senseless.

I barely uttered a "bye" before apparating back to my apartment. As soon as he saw me, Jake jumped out of his bed to have me scratch him. I had left him with plenty of food and water, and nearly the whole kitchen floor covered in newspaper for when he needed to go to the bathroom. Instead of rubbing his belly like he wanted, I ignored him and headed straight for the bathroom, in need of a good shower.

Once I was clean and calmed down, I sat on the couch, thinking about what had happened. I put things into perspective, and realized it wasn't all that big of a deal. If Wendy couldn't get over the fact that I liked Oliver, and Oliver liked me, then she's just have to go _avada kadavra _herself or something. Not that I'd actually want her to do that, but honestly, the problem concerned Oliver, not me. She was a big girl, she could figure it out.

Wait. Oliver liked me? I suppose it was a possibility.

_Just a possibility?_ _Are you mental?_

Why else would he have been kissing me? Sure he was a bit of a horndog on days that ended with Y, but I knew him better than to just mess around with my head. There had to be some substance behind his outlandish actions. He fooled around with girls' hearts all the time, loving them and leaving them, but he wouldn't do that to me, would he?

* * *

My stomach was up in knots and my knees were buckling. Calvin placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder as I peeked through a small crack in the locker room doors. I couldn't see much, but I could hear the thousands of people talking and cheering.

"Okay team, this is a big game." Herb appeared from his Coach's office, his trusty clipboard in hand. "If you beat the Cannons today, you'll go on to play the Irish in a game that will determine who goes against the Arrows at the Quidditch World cup. Despite the fact that we've had the best team the last three years, someone always messes up and we haven't gotten that winning trophy yet! But this year... this is the year! I want that big hunk of metal sitting on my desk by the end of this summer! You got that!"

We all nodded. I couldn't help but think how Herb sounded so much like Oliver did during his last year as the Gryffindor Quidditch captain.

I looked over at him. He had an arm around Claudette's shoulders. The last few days weren't unlike any of the other times Oliver had done something rash and then ignored me.

He caught me staring. He didn't smile, or show any other emotion. His dark brown eyes just bore into me, his mouth in a thin straight line.

_You're horrible,_ I mouthed.

He glanced around the room, making sure none of our other teammates were looking at him. Everyone was listening intently to Herb.

_I'm sorry!_ he mouthed back.

_Sorry doesn't cut it. You can't... you can't just kiss someone, and then act like nothing happened, especially when that someone likes you really bad!_

Oh man, I hadn't meant to say that much. Luckily, Oliver was rasing an eyebrow at me. He hadn't understood any of it.

Sighing, I held my right hand up, pointed to him, and started flapping my fingers opened and closed, letting him know that it was going to be representing him. With my left, I pointed to Claudette, letting it represent her. Oliver-hand kissed me, then ignored me and went over to Claudette-hand. Then Oliver-hand and Claudette-hand kissed, and then started rubbing each other seductively, while I looked on pouting. I looked up at Oliver, to see if he was understanding. He had that stupid smirk on his face.

"Bell, what in bloody hell are you doing?"

I looked at Herb and my face almost caught on fire. He and the rest of the team were looking at me, some with smiles on their faces, others as though I needed to go to a loony bin.

"Never mind, just win today, okay?" Herb said, sounding tired.

I checked over my uniform, buckling and unbuckling various straps and wrist guards in an attempt to keep my hands busy as the Chudley Cannons were being announced. I had only received my customized uniform the day before, and was surprised at how light the material of the navy blue robes were.

When it was time for Puddlemere to make their grand entrance, we lined up in alphabetical order according to our last names, putting me in front. I felt nauseous; I didn't want to go out first. What if no one cheered for me? What if they threw things? What if they booed?

But my 'what if's' were cut short when Farrenhurst, who was behind me in line, was the first to be called out. He looked down at me and shrugged, then exited the locker room.

One by one they all went when their names were called, smiling and waving up at the crowd as the announcer took a moment to mention a few facts about each player. I leaned my back against the wall beside the exit.

"Calm down, Katie," Oliver spoke in a soft voice. He was the only one left in the locker room with me, awaiting his turn.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

He held a hand out to me, and I looked at it for a long while, until finally I took it and let him pull me towards him. With his hands on my cheeks, he spoke.

"I know you're nervous now, but just think, when you get out there and get on your broom, you'll be in a completely different world and none of those people out there will matter. It'll be alright."

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin on top of my head. When his name was called, he grabbed my shoulders, pushing me back slightly, and looked me straight in the eye.

"I _love_ you, Katie."

I choked on my own spit as he disappeared through the locker room doors, his robes billowing out behind him in a flourish. I was gasping for my breath as the announcer talked about how Oliver broke the record for most blocked shots in a season during his first year on the team, the various awards he had won for outstanding plays, and how he was voted "Sexiest Quidditch Player of the Year" in some ladies' quidditch magazine.

I almost didn't hear my name called over my coughing and sputtering, but I managed to regain control of my lungs and stood up straight as I grabbed my broom that was leaning against the wall beside the door. I could feel the electricity in the atmosphere as I stepped out onto the pitch to join my teammates.

* * *

**So basically there is only one more chapter left. OH NO!**

**I know the whole "kiss and ignore" thing gets old, but that's just how Oliver is so get over it. And yes, that was a big stephe took right there, not just some silly little thing friends say to each other, and Katie knows it. **

**Did the hand-talking thing Katie did make sense? I drew a picture for it, so maybe if you don't understand exactly what I was talking about, you'll kinda maybe get it when you see the picture?**


	14. Chapter 14

**I know you guys are like, "OMG THE LAST CHAPTER? How sudden!" and I thought the same thing, but I realized that this was a good time to just end it all. Because they've already made out and I told you I wanted to end it after they get together because the whole being boyfriend/girlfriend thing doesn't interest me enough to write about it. And there's only so much making out they can do before it leads to bigger and better things, you know? The whole 'kiss-ignore-fight-makeup-kiss-ignore-fight-makeup' thing is getting old. And I'm too lame to think of something new for this story. Hardy har har.**

**I think the quality of writing in this chapter is sucky because I'm... not rushing, per-se, just really excited about writing it and getting it posted, but the content is good. _I _think, at least. :)**

**

* * *

**As I sat drinking my hot chocolate and looking at the cover of_ Witch Weekly_, I couldn't help from smiling at the picture of Calvin and Claudette snogging each other after we had won. Apparently the two had been dating (or _trying_ to date, in my case) Oliver and I to make each other jealous. And it had worked. 

Oliver hadn't left his room in three days for anything other than to go to the bathroom.

I sat the magazine back down on the kitchen table and opened the sliding doors that led to the balcony. The morning air was warm, but not hot, and a constant breeze tousled my hair. I yawned and stretched, watching the early birds out on the street go about their business.

Once back inside, I made some toast and put it on a plate for Oliver. I knocked on his bedroom door, but when there was no answer, I opened it a crack and peeked inside. He was lying across his bed sideways, with his feet hanging off of one end and his head the other. His sheets were all tangled up around his middle, and he was still wearing the same t-shirt and shorts he had put on three days ago.

I sat the plate of toast on his dresser and opened the curtains, letting the sun brighten up the room. Oliver squeezed his eyes shut tighter, and groaned, rubbing his hands over his scruffy face.

"Oliver! Get up, Ol!" I cried, slapping his cheeks a little. He swatted my hands away and rolled over. I started pounding on his back and every part of him I could reach until he finally sat up and yawned.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I'm tired of you being cooped up in this room. And you're so dirty you're starting to smell up the whole house. Today you're coming with me, and we're going to the twins' shop, and then we're going to go have lunch with Ange, Alicia and Daphne, and then we're going to go do something by ourselves that _doesn't_ involve thinking about Claudette."

When I mentioned her name, he sighed and looked out the window. There was a pain in my chest as the crack that had formed in my heart three days ago widened itself.

I had thought that after his little comment in the locker room before the game, things would have changed, and not in the way that they did. I had been so excited; _finally_ after all this time, things were working out for me, and my little fairy tale would end happily ever after. I had been _amazing_ during that game, scoring almost all the points, just because I was happy and so sure that when it was over, Oliver and I would run off into the horizon, hand in hand.

But what really happened was nowhere near how I had hoped. When Oliver saw Claudette locking lips with Calvin, he ripped his wrist guards off and threw them to the ground, then stomped off towards the locker rooms. He had already left by the time the rest of the team came to take their showers, and that night, he came home shitfaced. He was obviously heartbroken. That was when he put on the clothes he had been wearing.

"If it's any consolation," I said softly, "I don't think she was any good for you."

I placed the plate of toast next to his hand on his bed, and turned to leave.

"You think I'm upset over _that_?" he asked, throwing me off guard.

"Are you not?"

"Fuck no! I'm embarrassed as hell! I got dumped by that evil bitch in front of tens of thousands of people! Wouldn't _you_ be just a little embarrassed?"

"Er– well, maybe, but I wouldn't sulk for three days in my room because of it."

"Well then you're a whole hell of a lot braver than I am."

I thought about what he had said for a moment, and asked him another question. "Why did you date her if you thought she was an evil bitch?"

"It's complicated."

I decided not to press the issue. "Eat that toast and then go get in the shower. You're filthy."

"Yes, mum."

I returned to the livingroom and flopped down on the couch, turning the tv on to an infomercial. Oliver finally left his room, the plate of toast empty and a half a piece hanging from his mouth. I listened to him as he rummaged around in the kitchen. After a few minutes he came back into the livingroom, the _Witch Weekly_ in hand, and asked, "Have you seen the pictures of you in here?"

"No, I haven't opened it. I just looked at the front."

"They're nice, you should check them out. I'm heading off to the shower."

He threw the magazine at me and made his way to the bathroom, where he shut and locked the door.

I waited until the infomercial I had been watching ended. After they showed that knife cutting through an aluminum can like it was melted ice cream, I mentally added it to my Christmas list.

I propped my head up with a few pillows and opened the magazine, flipping through for pictures of me sweaty and tired at the quidditch game. I found the few pages where a story called, "Puddlemere's Fight to the Top" started, and right under the title was a picture of Oliver. He was nearly falling off of his broom trying to keep a quaffle from going through the hoops, and with his arms stretched so high above his head, his shirt had ridden up, giving the photographer a good shot of his stomach. The caption underneath said something cutesy about his "six-pack abs."

I didn't read the story; instead I just looked at all the pictures of the team. There was one of Finch and Farrenhurst high fiving each other after they both had sent the two bludgers hurtling in the direction of the Cannons' seeker when he had seen the snitch before McNeely. And then there was one of Travis with his hand outstretched, his fingers grazing the flitting, golden wings of the snitch right as he caught it.

When I turned the page, I was surprised to find a full-page picture of Claudette on the left side, and a full-page picture of me on the right. We were both hovering in the air, glaring at the woman on the other page. Every now and then, Claudette would flick her hair back over her shoulder, only to have the wind blow it right back to where it was. I would be looking at Claudette, and then, as if someone called my name, my head would jerk towards the camera, and I'd smile self-consciously, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. It must have been early on in the game, because I had yet to become sweaty and I didn't seem to be breathing too hard.

When I turned to the next page, a piece of parchment that had been tucked loosely between the pages fell out onto my lap. I picked it up, examining it, and my eyes widened as I realized it was the note Oliver hadn't wanted me to see when Ange and Alicia were over. I glanced towards the bathroom, making sure the door was still closed, and slowly, I unfolded it.

At first, my shoulders slumped as I saw very clearly the various 'x's, 'o's, and arrows that Oliver used every time he was drawing up a new quidditch play. I almost discarded the parchment to the floor, until I saw the few paragraphs at the bottom.

It was addressed to me.

_Katie,_

_You're only in the next room, probably asleep, and here I am, too much of a coward to tell you to your face, writing on this stupid play. I hope to one day build up the courage to just _tell_ you, but in case that day never comes, I guess I'll keep this handy. _

_I love you, Katie Bell. I love you so much, and I always have. Even when you were the bratty little girl next door, before Hogwarts, there was always something about you that attracted me to you. I don't want to sound like some psycho, but I knew we were meant to be together. _

_I know that if you're reading this, I've probably made a fool of myself in some way, or slept with lots of women (I'm not helping my case much, am I?), but I want you to know they were nothing compared to you. Their smiles didn't light up my day like yours does. They don't know how to make me laugh the way you do, even when you don't mean to. And they can't melt my heart like you do when I'm trying my hardest to stay mad at you for being stubborn._ _I love everything about you; your hair, your eyes, your mouth, that crooked middle finger on your left hand, your pinkie toes, and especially things you wouldn't want me to list because you'll think I'm a pervert. I love you Katie._ _I will never be able to say it enough. I love you._

_Forever yours, even if you're not mine,_

_Oliver_

I sat staring at that letter for the longest time. My heart was pounding so hard that I could see the front of my shirt jumping with each beat.

When I trusted my legs enough to stand up, I did, and left the magazine and the letter lying on the coffee table. I started towards my room, and just as I was passing by the bathroom door, it opened, and Oliver stood there in only his boxers, his eyes wide.

I froze. I stared up at his warm brown eyes, not knowing what to do, or what to say. He spoke first.

"So, I'm assuming you read it."

I nodded.

"Well... am I crazy?"

I nodded again, without thinking. His shoulders slumped.

"O... kay... well, I guess we better get a move on then if you still want to make it to the joke shop before lunchtime." His voice cracked halfway through the sentence, and I could tell he was about to cry. He turned to go to his room, but I held out a hand to stop him, letting my fingers feel the smooth skin of his chest.

When he faced me again, there were unshed tears in his eyes, and he was doing everything he could to keep from looking directly at me. His bottom lip started quivering and he let out a choked sob as the tears started flowing.

I pulled him to me in a hug, standing on my tippy toes so that I could rest my chin on his shoulder. "Shh... Oliver, I-"

"I didn't think it would hurt this much," he said. "I thought that if you didn't feel the same way, then I'd just get over it, but I-"

I pressed my mouth firmly on his, letting his tears run down my cheeks as well. When I pulled back, he was looking at me, surprised.

"I said you were crazy," I whispered. "I never said I didn't feel the same way." I smiled up at him, and I could see the gears in his brain working overtime to understand what I meant.

"Well you could have said something instead of letting me stand here making a pussy of myself, then," he chided, wiping the tears away from his cheeks. I leaned up and kissed him again, only this time it was a lot longer, a lot more passionate, and I didn't feel guilty afterwards.

"We're going to be late," he murmured against my lips.

"We can reschedule our lunch date for tomorrow, then," I said, and led him to my bedroom.

**THE END

* * *

****Before someone asks, no, that does NOT mean they went and had sex. Unless you want it to, haha. It's whatever your little hearts desire! (Although I was thinking more along the lines of a good make out session on Katie's bed.) That's why I ended it there.**

**Woopdeeeeeeedoooo! Whenever I write, I have to like, sit here and imagine I'm every character, and say their parts and make the same faces I'd imagine them making, and so when Oliver started crying, I did too. Because I'm retarded. But I just imagine this sad little guy... I mean just pretend you told the person you love... that you love them. They're the only person you want to be with in the whole world, and they say something that makes you think they don't like you _like that_. Like... how horrible! (I say like a lot...) Your world is basically over and you should just go kill yourself because what's the point in living, huh?**

**And I know you guys are gonna hate me... but there aren't any pictures for this chapter, and I'm really sorry, because I know there are a bajillion perfect opportunities in here for a little visualization, but I am so SO crazy about posting this chapter up that I don't want to worry about drawing right now. So if you ever see me online, just cuss me out, or send me a horrible email or PM or something, I won't be mad and I'll completely understand.**

**Don't worry about not seeing me around anymore, though! I'm planning on writing another story real soon. It'll be from Oliver's POV, and while the gang's still at Hogwarts. But it won't have ANYTHING to do with this story. It'll be a COMPLETELY new one.**


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